Cold store operators in Tema are urgently calling for a load-shedding timetable as they grapple with the recent erratic power supply, commonly referred to as ‘dumsor’ in Ghana. The unpredictable power outages are causing significant financial strain on these businesses, compelling them to rely on expensive alternative power sources.
It has also led to increased costs, which may result in higher prices for goods and services, including fish.
Victor Seddoh, the manager of Mankoadzee Fisheries, expressed his concerns in an interview with Citi News, He questioned the authorities’ inability to identify the root cause of these outages.
He highlighted the increased cost of fuel for generators during these power outages, which negatively impacts their overall expenses.
“Have they identified the problems, the authorities? Because we hear conflicting information from various regulatory bodies. Why won’t the government get one solid reason for these outages and then resolve it.”
“Until the power outage, we were relying on ECG. So we hardly bought fuel at all for the generator. Within this period of power outage, we will need to buy at least 600 litres of fuel to run for eight to nine hours. And that is very expensive. You cannot put a monetary figure on it because the price keeps changing.”
“It is cost and we must reduce cost. So in retrieving cost what do you do, you apply to your customers and that is the issue. And the eventual results will be an increase in prices of goods and services, the fish price will go up. ”
Christabel Mensah, manager of Nkunim Frozen Foods, shared her experience of losing nearly 100 cartons of fish due to a recent power outage over the weekend.
She emphasized the need for a load-shedding timetable to help cold store operators plan their operations more effectively.
“Recently our fish, almost 80 to 100 cartons got spoilt because over the weekend, we were not around and there was light off. And we did not have an uninterrupted power supply so we couldn’t come back and from where we stayed too, we couldn’t come back to turn on the generator. So when we came on Monday, most of our fish had gone bad.”
The cold store operators believe that a load-shedding timetable would provide them with better control over their businesses and help mitigate the negative effects of the power outages.
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