Artisanal fishermen of the province of Manabi met with the fishing cluster of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to share their experiences and marketing tools for their fishery products. This initiative seeks to reactivate the economy of the fishing villages affected by the earthquake last April.
The international meeting was organized by the Superintendency of Control of Market Power (SCPM) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAGAP) in the training room of the Artisanal Fishing Port of Jaramijo.
It was attended by Luis Alfredo Juez, Argentina’s ambassador in Ecuador, representatives of the Union of South American Nations and cantonal authorities.
This Argentine cluster is made up of private organizations, public sector representatives and scientific and technological areas. Its mission is to develop strategies to ensure products having high quality artisanal fisheries products, which are value-added and generating resources for a sustainable life of all artisanal fishing stakeholders in the local sector.
The Undersecretariat of Fisheries Resources has identified 76 fishing coves, engaged in artisanal fisheries in Manabi, of which there have been 60 organizations of artisanal fishermen.
Diana Mendez, member of the Argentine group, shared the experiences gained through the partnership and called Ecuadorian fishermen to continue working.
“There is nothing better to contribute to the sovereignty of a country, through food; we are responsible for taking fresh products to consumers’ table,” she stressed.
Maria Fernanda Marriott, deputy undersecretary of Fisheries Resources, pointed out that the technical cooperation of the Argentine government to Ecuadorian artisanal fishermen and the implementation of marketing techniques will build better ways to develop the fishing activity.
“We are working on strengthening organizations and cooperatives in the artisanal fisheries sector, then we are focusing on the knowledge transfer process in good fishing practices, engine repair, among others,” she said.
Jorge Castro Mero, president of the Association of Affiliate Farming and Artisanal Fishing Insurance, of the canton Jaramijó, said that the 100 members of the association are working on the project to add value to fish products such as vacuum packaging of the bonito and dolphinfish.
“We consider it is of vital importance that these meetings that will help us to open a market line to sell our products with better prices,” he said, after thanking the support of the authorities.
The Superintendency of Control of Market Power and MAGAP Vice Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries will coordinate a new meeting with artisanal fishermen of Manabi within 15 days.
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