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POTENTIAL FOR FISHING GEAR MANUFACTURE IN MOZAMBIQUE |
January 1986
RAF/79/065/WP/24/86
by
J. G. WEDDERBURN
Small Scale Fisheries Specialist
This report is based on travel to Mozambique from October 7th to November 7th, 1985, covering four fishing areas of Maputo, Beira, Quelimane and Angoche and had as its objectives:
The detailed itinerary of the travel and a list of persons met together with factories and places visited in Mozambique are set out in the Appendix.
Fisheries in Mozambique can be divided into traditional, artisanal and industrial sectors.
Overall, the importance of fisheries in the country's economy can be judged from the fact that some 20% of its foreign currency earnings arise from fish exports, mainly of shrimp.
The traditional fisheries development has been restricted by the lack of seaworthy fishing craft and been largely limited to fishing from the shoreline and in sheltered bays. Fishing gear suplies have been limited and the transportation of produce to distant markets is difficult.
The artisanal fishery, using powered boats of 6 to 20 metres in length, is the main source of local fish supplies to urban areas. The number of craft is estimated at over 300, partly in private ownership and partly owned by Community Fishing Centres. The main problems faced by the fishery to date have arisen from inadequate maintenance of vessels and machinery due to lack of spare parts, inadequate suplies of gear, ice and transport of both catches and gear.
The industrial fishery is directed largely to fishing for export. It is centered mainly on the Sofala bank, with upwards of 80 trawlers fishing mainly for shrimp. There has been a worrying drop in catch rates of shallow water shrimps, but there have been encouraging increases in landings of deep water shrimp and demersal fish.
The industrial fleet is made up of national vessels and joint-venture vessels from Spain, Japan and the U.S.S.R. The joint-venture and foreign vessels are able to operate satisfactorily, but the national vessels are in a generally delapidated condition, particularly with regard to their freezing and cold storage equipment.
An over-riding problem for the industry, as it is for the country generally, is the shortage of foreign exchange to finance machinery and equipment purchases from abroad. For the national and industrial fleet, this has resulted in a serious reduction in efficiency due to inability to obtain urgently needed spare parts etc. This in turn reduces annual landings and export earnings from shrimp and thus still further exacerbates the foreign currency problem.
The artisanal fleet also suffers from the foreign exchange shortage for import of equipment and gear. Although this fishery does not contribute directly to foreign exchange earnings by exporting, it is nevertheless the major source of fish supply to the local pupulation and thus reduces the need for food imports.
All imports are channelled through the State-owned company EQUIPESCA, with head office in Maputo and branches in other parts of the country. EQUIPESCA was established for the purpose of organizing the purchase and distribution of all imported fishing gar and equipment.
The main purpose of the present report is to indicate ways and means by which an expansion of local supplies of fishing gear and equipment needed by the various sectors of the fisheries may be achieved and thus not only improve their availability to the fishermen, but also make a substantial contribution towards reducing dependance on imported supplies with the drain on foreign exchange resources that this involves.
In order to secure greater self-sufficiency in the provision of fishing gear and equipment and thus reduce demands on foreign exchange, the following are suggested as promising items for consideration for a much increased level of local production:
Netting
Floats
Leads
Trawl Doors
Anchors
Light Castings
A substantial quantity of netting is already being manufactured in Mozambique by the CIMA organization. It is thought that their factory in Maputo supplies about 60% of the total requirements of the artisanal sector. They also manufacture netting for the industrial (shrimp) fishery, mainly for the national vessels - the joint-venture and licenced foreign vessels obtain most of their gear requirements from their own countries.
The balance of the requirements of the artisanal section is partly met by donations from various international aid agencies. Although exact information is not available, it is believed that there remains a sizeable gap in supply of the artisanal sector needs.
To bridge this gap, it is considered that CIMA is in a position to increase its present level of netting production by dealing with major problems affecting its operational efficiency. This plant has been operating in its present location since 1974 and has 25 net-making machines. Six of these were new in 1984 and a further 6 are less than 10 years old, but the remaining 13 are between 10 and 27 years old. The factory employs 150 people and operates on a 2-shift system of 9 hours each shift over a 5-day week. The factory works 11 months in the year.
Output of netting in 1975 was less than 50 tons, but has increased steadily to a figure of 164 tons in 1984. Production in 1985 is expected to reach 200 tons, of which 115/120 tons is for the artisanal fisheries sector, the remainder being shrimp trawl webbing for the industrial fleet.
The principal problems affecting production are:
Although there is at present a stock of 6-9 months supply of twine in hand, this has not always been the case, and import delays have in the past led to an under-utilisation of machines and even to virtual cessation of production. Importation of twine, as of all industrial raw materials, is in the hands of the Government trading organization, EQUIPESCA (Section 4).
While normal daily stoppages of the net-making machines are attended to as and when they occur, there are no established maintenance schedules for the machines in use. It is considered essential for continued machine operation that such schedules should be drawn up and adhered to. Lack of regular servicing can also be attributed to insufficient mechanical and electrical knowledge of the maintenance staff and to the lack of spare parts. This points to the need for better training of service personnel and again to the operations of EQUIPESCA in its function as import agency for necessary spare parts.
The new machines are capable of sustaining a high production rate and are protected electronically against both mechanical and human failure. However, in some instances, the electronic safety devices are no longer operating, which means that the machines are not protected against damage. When this occurs, the machines can be out of service for some days with consequent loss of output and costly repairs.
Production is also reduced when an operator is inattentive to twine breakages. This can occur quite frequently during a work shift and is generally due to faulty adjustment of the machine. It is essential that operators should remain alert for these breakages, since failure to deal with them means that machines will continue to produce webbing of substandard quality, which entails time-consuming repairs in the inspection departments or even condemnation of products as unusable. Recommendations for improvement of standards of maintenance and operation are set out in the List of Recommendations.
The frequent interruptions of power supplies to the factory has been a further constraint in securing continuous production. This has at times brought production to a standstill, it is hoped that the power supply situation will improve and it is not considered practicable nor economic to install stand-by generating equipment.
Millions of synthetic net floats are used annually in the artisanal fishery and are at present imported. As they are mostly of uncomplicated design, there seems no good reason why they should not be manufactured locally. The principal requirements are for sufficient stocks of synthetic raw materials and the appropriate moulds. The raw materials will of course still have to be imported, but it may be possible to manufacture the moulds locally from imported prototypes. The net saving in foreign exchange needs would be substantial and increased local employment would be offered in the plastic factory.
It is estimated that approximately 20-25 tons of net leads are required annually by the industry. As in the case of floats, it is suggested that consideration be given to producing these locally, either by supplying fishermen with hand moulds and imported lead so that they can 'pour' their own leads, or by setting up a small lead foundry to manufacture the net leads. In either case there would be a net saving in foreign exchange.
Again, these are at present imported, but could be manufactured by any of the three heavy industry plants located near Maputo.
Fairly large quantities of anchors are used - and lost - by the artisanal fisheries sector in their gill netting operations. Again these are at present all imports, and their local manufacture could probably result in considerable savings.
The heavy industry plants near Maputo are fully capable of producing any type of castings that the industry may require. It is therefore primarily a question of establishing the needs of the industry and setting up appropriate liaison set up with the plants to meet them.
Until recently, rubber knee-boots for the fishing industry were imported in large quantities. As the local rubber factory is well equipped to cater for these needs - at approximately half the cost of the foreign article - there seems no good reason why this substitution should not be made.
All the above proposals for some degree of import substitution, taken individually, amount to a relatively small saving in import costs. However, taken as a whole, they will be significant in monetary terms. Perhaps of equal if not greater long-term significance, they will lead to a much higher degree of local industrial integration and participation in fisheries development. This will benefit not only the industries concerned, but will also help to speed up fisheries development which will no longer be too reliant on imported supplies.
The above proposals for local production of fishing supplies will affect the operations and work of the state-run fishery supplies organization EQUIPESCA. This organization is responsible for the purchase and distribution of all supplies needed by the industry, and under the present circumstances is very largely occupied in ordering and supply of imported materials. The recommended change to local supply of many items will also lead to change in the operations of EQUIPESCA itself, in that it will be dealing much more with local producers than in the past.
To further reduce the cost of imports and to streamline distribution in the interests of getting urgently needed parts and equipment to the net factory and the fishermen more rapidly, EQUIPESCA should establish tighter control over inventories both at its main establishment and at its branch depots, so that overstocks of any item can be redirected to the depots. Observation indicated that some stock items will take a very long time to clear. In order to reduce the capital tied up in slow-moving stock, a general review is required and arrangements made for greater flexibility. As an example, at one particular outlet, fairly large quantities of artisanal webbing of a non-standard mesh size are in stock, with little movement in sales. To clear this inventory, EQUIPESCA should consider reducing its price appreciably below that of the standard popular webbing. Failure to take such steps would leave the organization with capital tied up for an indeterminate period in this very slow-miving stock.
At present, the nets used in the artisanal fishery are rigged at the base from which the vessels normally work. Artisanal fishermen have always hung their own nets, with the length being governed by the amount of net webbing which they are in a position to purchase at any one time.
Although proposals have been made that CIMA should develop a net rigging operation at or near its present location, these are not considered appropriate - at least for the artisanal section - at the present time, not only because of the traditional rigging practice of fishermen mentioned above, but also because of the current problems that CIMA face, detailed in the previous section of this report. Until such time as these problems have been satisfactorily solved, it is not considered advisable for CIMA to become involved in expansion plans for net rigging.
It should, however, be considered at some future time whether at least some part of the netting needs of the joint-venture and licensed foreign industrial fishing fleets should not be met by local industry. This question would initially require discussion with the foreign interests involved, in order to ascertain their interest and willingness to consider changing to local supplies and to find out precisely what their requirements would be, both in terms of design and quantities.
It is believed, for example, that EFRIPEL (the Japanese joint-venture operation) would not be interested in any such proposal.
For the same reasons as set out in relation to the rigging of nets for the artisanal fishery, it is considered premature to think in of CIMA becoming involved in net rigging for the industrial fleet. However, this does not mean that investigations should not be made to ascertain whether the industrial fleet might not be in a position to take supplies of locally produced webbing, as and when CIMA's productive capacity is expanded.
As a start, it might be useful to study the needs for fishing trawls of the USSR licensed operation, MOSOPESCA. By 1989, it is expected that some 90 nets per annum will be needed for the 11 vessels proposed to be operating. It it was agreed that at least some part of the net requirements of this fleet could eventually be met from local sources of supply. The critical factor would still remain the effectiveness at that time of the CIMA operation.
It is considered that the CIMA operation should have as its first priority the satisfying of the needs of the artisanal section and should therefore not be diverted from this priority.
Having inspected the facilities recently acquired by NAVIPESCA at Matola, there appear to be no technical difficulties in constructing steel fishing vessels of a length of up to about 25 metres on this site.
This facility (an ex-railway workshop) is well suited to build in steel, but the transportation and launching of a vessel would present problems if one were to be built on site. To avoid this drawback, the framework, keel, stem and transom etc. can be fabricated on the machine shop premises and transported by road to a slipway located about 5 km from the workshop on the Matola River. The framework could then be assembled and the vessel plated on site.
This assembly point is of comparatively recent construction and, since it is roofed, work stoppages can be kept to a minimum.
No equipment is available on the launch site and storage premises for parts and plant would have to be built.
While no serious technical problems would arise in carrying out the construction of steel fishing vessels, the yard would need to recruit suitable technical staff, such as a naval architect and a draughtsman. A further question which is not discussed in this report is the general economic viability of such craft in the context of the Mozambique fishing industry. Decisions would need to be taken, not only on the basis of technical feasibility, but also on the utilization of such vessels in the industry, their relative costs of construction, operation and maintenance in comparison with those of wooden or fibreglass construction, and the fishing activities to be carried out by them.
It is considered to be technically feasible to build steel vessels of up to 25 metres in the NAVIPESCA facilities at Matola. However, it is recommended that before definite decisions are taken to proced with such construction, due consideration should be given to staffing problems and to the extremely important question of the general economic viability within the country's fishing industry of steel vessels of this size and cost.
| Place | Arrival | Departure |
| Seychelles | 5.10.1985 | |
| Johannesburg | 5.10.1985 | 7.10.1985 |
| Maputo | 7.10.1985 | 11.10.1985 |
| Inhaca | 11.10.1985 | 12.10.1985 |
| Maputo | 12.10.1985 | 28.10.1985 |
| Beira | 28.10.1985 | 28.10.1985 |
| Quelimane | 28.10.1985 | 30.10.1985 |
| Angoche | 30.10.1985 | 30.10.1985 |
| Beira | 30.10.1985 | 2.11.1985 |
| Maputo | 2.11.1985 | 7.11.1985 |
| Johannesburg | 7.11.1985 | 9.11.1985 |
| Seychelles | 9.11.1985 |
| Capt. J.D. Moreira Rato | - Fishing Technologist, Maputo |
| Ms. Rita Bens | - Administrative Assistant, FAO, Maputo |
| Mr. Andre A. Odeurs | - FAOR, Maputo |
| Mr. Finn Tarp | - Programme Officer/Economist, Maputo |
| Dr. Davide E. Silva | - Director of Economy to the Secretary |
| of State for Fisheries | |
| Mr. Manuel Goncalves | - Director of Small Scale Fisheries |
| (UDPPE) | |
| Mr. Jacquim Russo | - Director of the Directorate for Small |
| Scale Fisheries (UDPM) | |
| Mr. Estevao Joao Machai | - Director, CIMA Net Factory |
| Dr. Joaquim Tenreiro de Almeida | - Secretary of State for Fisheries |
| Mr. Francisco Jose Candido | - Assistant Director (Fishing Habour |
| Cold Store) | |
| Mr. Leong Moy | - Production Manager (CIMA) |
| Mr. Alejand de Vallejos | - Fisheries Expert (Small Scale Fisheries) |
| Mr. Edgar pontes | - Sales/Distribution Manager (EQUIPESCA) |
| Mrs. Lydia Po Catalao | - Director of Marine Research Inst. (IIP) |
| Mr. Antonio Valente | - Director (SULPESCA) |
| Mr. Jose de Almeida | - Manager "NAVIPESCA" Boat Yard |
| Mr. Oliverio Cabrita Calafate | - Supervisor, NAVIPESCA Boat Yard |
| Mr. Fernando Simoes | - Biologist Tuna Resources Research |
| Mr. Luis Marting | - Director COMBINADO PESQUEIRO DA INHACA |
| Mr. Herimio Antonio Matauel | - Chef de Departemento Financiro - UDPM |
| Mr. Pinto Ferreira | - Chef de Departamento de Aprovisionamento |
| e Comercializacao (UDPM) | |
| Mr. Inocencio Antonio Matavel | - Director, Ministerio da Industria e |
| Energia | |
| Mr. Wilson de Almeida Pinto | - Gapricom -M.I.E. |
| Mr. J. Morgado | - Manager, Fabrica Continental de Borracha |
| Mr. Piedade de Sousa | - Engineer, Railway Workshop |
| Mr. Evaristo Jorolao Xifancolos | - General Manager, CIFEL/EE |
| Mr. Antonio Madeira | - Technical Manager |
| Mr. Sinbine | - Manager, Plastics Factory |
| Mr. Joaquim Cruz | - Director, EMOPESCA, Quelimane |
| Mr. Joa Manuel Renyolds Marques | - Assistente Pessoal po Dirigente da |
| Provincia Para og Assuntos Economicos, | |
| Quilemane, Mozambique | |
| Mr. Lourenco Manuel | - Director, EMOPESCA, Angoche |
| Mr. Fernando Teixeira Paulo | - Director Comercial, Cometalmometal, |
| Machava, Maputo | |
| Mr. Adelino Rodrigo Jose Carrailha | - Director-General, A FORJADORA, Maputo |
| Mr. J. Morgado | - Manager, Fabrica Continental de |
| Barracha, Maputo | |
| Mr. Simbine | - Director, Plastics Factory, Maputo |
| Mr. Raul Dias | - Director, NAVIPESCA, Maputo |
| Mr. Leonard G. Limpus | - FAO/MOZ/82/007, Beira |
| Mr. Paulo Saene | - Director Combinado Pesqueira de Beira |
| Mrs. Luisa Arthur | - Director de Instituto Investigacao |
| Pesqueira, Beira Delegation | |
| Mr. P. Sorensen | - Marine Engineering/Instructor, |
| FAO, Maputo | |
| Capt. R. Sanheuza Ward | - Masterfisherman/Gear Technologist, |
| FAO, Maputo | |
| Mr. Adelino Rodrigo Jose Carrilho | - Director General, A Forjadora, Maputo |