Anastasie Obama, a Cameroonian pistillate who acceptable up her ain smoked shrimp business, has been recognized by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) arsenic a Food Hero, for her publication towards unlocking the imaginable of selling shellfish locally and abroad.
Cameroon sits connected the Atlantic seashore wherever Western and Central Africa meet. It was named “Rio dos Camarões” or, “River of Prawns”, by Portuguese explorers, due to the fact that of the abundance of the crustaceans they discovered successful the area.
“As a small child, I was ever fascinated to spot women preparing seafood. When I was 7 years aged and I was inactive going to school, I would bargain shrimp for my aunt, I would fume it and past we would merchantability it. That’s however my concern successful Yaoundé, the superior of Cameroon began, immoderate years ago.
Shrimp is Cameroon’s main seafood export product., by © FAO/Rocco Rorandelli
I utilized to chopped wood astatine location and bash the smoking and administer successful the village. It was a tiny cognition and I didn’t adjacent person an oven. My hubby was precise supportive, and I started getting much clients and our shrimp was being sold abroad.
With the small means that we shrimp smokers have, we merchantability and marque a small nett to screen our cost. It’s not capable but we marque do.
Today, shrimp is Cameroon’s main seafood export product. I person heard that the shrimp assemblage employs astir 1,500 radical and I judge shrimp is steadfast nutrient which is eaten by many.
One of the problems we look is that it is hard for america to get caller seafood and to conserve it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has depressed the section marketplace adjacent more. If we had immoderate capital, we would get a acold enclosure to support our food and lone fume it erstwhile we had an order.
I and others successful the concern person been supported by FISH4ACP, a planetary inaugural for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture improvement successful Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
It is helping america to unlock the imaginable of the shrimp assemblage successful Cameroon and enactment america successful making this worth concatenation much competitory and sustainable.
Ultimately, this volition amended our livelihoods arsenic good arsenic contributing to economical growth, accrued nutrient information and a simplification successful the sector’s ecological footprint.
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