Development potential and financial viability of fish farming in Ghana

The potential for aquaculture development to make up for an annual 400,000mt shortfall in domestic fish supply was investigated. This involved an overview of the sector to determine its trends and operations and identifying strengths and constraints, a financial viability assessment of the sector, based on mode and levels of operation of existing farms, an assessment of the market and trade for cultured fish with a focus on Oreochromis niloticus, and finally, a GIS approach to update and reassess the potential for aquaculture development in Ghana. Data were obtained from both primary and secondary sources, the former, via fish farmer, dealers and consumer questionnaire surveys. Results of the study showed that interests in fish farming continue to grow with an overall annual average growth rate of 16% since 2000. The existing farms, 1300 in number were however very small with a mean farm size of 0.36ha and a median 0.06ha of which commercial farms accounted for less than 3%. Based on sizes, mode of operation and levels of input and output, five subsistence farm types were identified. Mean production from these pond-based farms ranged from 1436kg/ha/yr- to 4,423kg/ha/yr while that of a medium sized intensive commercial pond farm was 45,999kg/ha/yr. Commercial farming accounted for about 75% of 2006 aquaculture production. The main strength identified was the growing interest in both commercial and non-commercial fish farming and the main constraints were lack of quality seed, low levels of technical support and of knowledge in fish farming practices among non-commercial farmers. Net profits of commercial farms ranged from GH¢ 3,341 (US$3480)/ha/yr to GH¢ 51,444 (US$ 53,587)/ha/yr with payback from 1 to 4yrs, IRR at 35% to 105% and NPV from GH¢ 5,898 to GH¢ 236,412. By contrast, only two of the five non-commercial farm types made positive net returns ranging, from GH¢158 to GH¢1100/ha/yr, with minimum payback period of 14yrs, NPVs of less than 1 and the best IRR being just 4%, when initial capital requirements are full costed. Uncosted family labour inputs and negligible land opportunity costs improved viabilities for two farm types, where net returns/ha/yr increased by more than 50%, minimum payback dropped to 2 years, NPV from GH¢ 4839 to GH¢ 9330 and minimum IRR of 45%. Main constraints identified as affecting the profitability of subsistence farming were the relatively low prices of fish and the low levels of output which could be improved through better farming practices. From the market survey, a huge market potential for tilapia was identified with a current supply deficit of 41,000mt. The most preferred sizes by consumers and with potentially good market price for traders were those weighing at least 200g. For dealers, trading in cultured fish was found to be more profitable than trading wild capture tilapia because of lower wholesaler prices, gross profit margins were GH¢ 0.49/kg and GH¢ 0.25/kg respectively. Preference for tilapia was influenced by taste, availability, and its perceived health benefit. A key constraint to the sector was poor post-harvest handling and preservation of the fish resulting in shorter shelf life. From the GIS study, 2% (3,692 km2) of available land area was identified as very suitable for subsistence and about 0.2% (313.8km2) for commercial farming. A further 97.4% and 84.0% were identified as suitable for subsistence and commercial farming respectively. Areas with potential for cage culture were also identified, which were largely in the southern and mid-sections of the country. The overall conclusions are that based on natural resource requirements, market potential and financial viability, Ghana has the potential to totally make up the shortfall in domestic fish supply through aquaculture production. The current 400,000mt shortfall in domestic fish production can be achieved by 2020 by increasing overall aquaculture production by 60% per annum

Cage aquaculture in Lake Volta, Ghana. Guidelines for a sustainable future

This book describes the approach, work undertaken and key outcomes of a three-year project which commenced in December 2012. The project was based on collaboration between the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, UK, and the CSIR Water Research Institute, Accra, Ghana. It was funded by the Leverhulme Foundation through a Royal Society Africa Grant.  Our key objective was to build capacity in environmental monitoring and assessment in partner organisations and, from the work carried out, to formulate a plan for improved and sustainable cage aquaculture on Lake Volta, so contributing to the developing industry and assuring regional food security

Accelerating pond aquaculture development and resilience beyond COVID: Ensuring food and jobs in Ghana

Over the past decade, the aquaculture sector in Ghana has experienced tremendous growth—driven mainly by large-scale cage aquaculture. Pond aquaculture, traditionally extensive and with limited external inputs, has been transforming over the same period. Farm profitability was wide-ranging, between −12.00 and 46.00 Ghanaian cedi (GHC) per square meter (m2), with an average of GHC 8.82/m2 for farmers active in 2019. Despite wide variability in production and profits, the majority of farmers experienced positive profits—on average, GHC 3.24 per kilogram of tilapia produced, or a 27% profit margin. Farmers who adopted good aquaculture practices and intensified their production have high productivity and positive profits. Nonetheless, the cost to produce 1 kg of tilapia in Ghana (roughly US$1.51 on average) was much higher than in other major tilapia-producing countries (averaging roughly US$0.78 to 1.29). COVID crisis further affected fish farmers: 54% experienced difficulties in accessing inputs, 56% experienced difficulties selling their fish, and farmgate fish prices went down in April–August, although slowly bounced back by end of 2020. Improving the competitiveness and resilience of Ghanaian tilapia sector will require improved seed, increased adoption of good management practices, lower-cost quality feed, and enabling policies and regulations

A report on the Ghana country level inception workshop of the CGIAR Initiative on Aquatic Foods

Inception workshop of the Aquatic Foods initiative in Ghana held in September 2022. This workshop also aimed to convey multiple stakeholders and initiate cross-institutional collaboration for the uptake of aquatic food production in reservoirs

Heavy metal concentrations and sediment quality of a cage farm on Lake Volta, Ghana

This study involved the determination of sediment quality and heavy metals in the water column and bottom sediment of a selected cage fish farm in Lake Volta, to assess the potential impact of metals and organic matter pollution on the lake due to cage fish farming. Sediment analysis indicated that the texture of all sampling sites was sandy clay loam with sand dominating with a range of 31.5%–81.2%. The organic matter (TOM) ranged from 4.42%–8.89%, while organic carbon (TOC) was from 2.57%–5.22%. Total nitrogen (TN) fluctuated between 0.22% and 0.45%; total phosphate ranged between 0.22% and 5.30%. The TOC, TOM and TN content in the farm sediment were significantly lower than those of the reference sites (ANOVA, p < .05). Lead, copper, cadmium and selenium were not detected in the water. The results revealed that heavy metal concentrations in the water column and sediments were low and within tolerable levels, indicating no influence of metals from fish feed was observed on the lake water quality. However, the farm seemed to have moderate impact on sediment quality from organic matter. Water and sediment quality monitoring should be embarked upon periodically to ensure sustainable cage culture in the Lake Volta

Waterbody scale assessment using spatial models to identify suitable locations for cage aquaculture in large lake systems: A case study in Volta Lake, Ghana

Large lakes throughout the world offer development opportunities for cage aquaculture. However, due to their vast area, identifying the most suitable locations can be a challenge. This is also complicated as lake systems are often multi‐use environments, so a strategic approach to managing the resource is required. This study uses geographic information systems (GIS) to develop a broad‐scale approach that identifies potential areas that may be suitable for cage aquaculture development. Volta Lake, one the world's largest man‐made lakes, is used as a case study. The overall GIS model combines four sub‐models, bathymetry, hydrography, water quality and access, and a constraints layer, to identify the most suitable locations for tilapia production. Three different cage sizes are modelled: small, medium and large. The model outputs suggest that approximately 102 km2 (1.7%), 406 km2 (6.9%) and 407 km2 (6.9%) of Volta Lake can be categorized as highly suitable for development of small, medium and large cages respectively. A further 634 km2 (10.8%), 1264 km2 (21.4%) and 1055 km2 (17.9%) can be categorized as suitable for the same. The results can be used by stakeholders and decision makers to identify specific areas where aquaculture development for cage farming of tilapia could be prioritized

Impact of aquaculture training on farmers’ income: Cluster randomized controlled trial evidence in Ghana

Aquaculture in Ghana is experiencing tremendous growth, led mainly by large-scale commercial cage operators. A major objective of the government and its partners is to ensure that this rapid growth is sustainable and includes small-scale farmers and poor rural producers. This paper evaluates the aquaculture trainings implemented in six main tilapia-producing regions in Ghana as part of the Ghana Tilapia Seed Project. The impact evaluation is designed as a cluster randomized controlled trial, with half of the producing districts randomly-assigned as the treatment and the rest as the control, complemented by qualitative interviews. One year after the trainings, results show positive impacts on the adoption of good record-keeping, water management, and some biosecurity practices, and on productivity and incomes. In terms of mechanism, improved management practices resulted from reducing overstocking, reducing inbreeding, maintaining water level for fish ponds, regular pond clearing and establishing physical barriers, following advice and recommendations on feeding practices, and complementing feeding practices with farmers’ own feed formulation. Half of the trained farmers experienced lower fish mortality, faster growth, and heavier fish at harvest. Marketing and processing advice through the trainings and complementary FishConnect WhatsApp platform likely contributed to higher incomes, although the platform's coverage and regular updating can be improved