Do not marginalise our fishermen and women

I MAKE reference to National Fisheries Authority (NFA) saying beche-de-mer fisheries likely to generate K50 million and raise the critical question of who actually benefitted from it, the fishermen/women (resource owner) or the exporters?
Maybe the NFA managing director is right but I doubt very much that the fishermen/women who are in fact the resource owners have or will significantly benefit.
The reason being that the corrupted buyers and the exporters are paying very low prices for beche-de-mer which are in high demand in South – East Asia for their perceived medicinal etc; properties.
Prices for the highest grade and those species most in demand are about A$250 to A$400 (K530 to K850) a kilo mark.
In Hong Kong prices can range from US$115 to US$660 (K349 to K1940) per kilo, so you see there is a lot of demand and huge benefits.
The question is why the exporters who are mostly foreigners
paying prices as low as K60 – K80 per kilo for sandfish (super, A-C) and others (Tiger, Curry, Lolly) from as low as K13 –K50 per kilo mark.
I have receipts to prove the above claim which were obtained from the fishermen/women who have sold beche-de-mer.
I therefore, suggest for NFA to consider – regulating the prices by setting a standard price per species for buyers (exporters) to comply with.
Fishermen and women (resource owners) must be given the opportunities to form associations through affiliations of societies either at the LLG or ward level and be licensed to exports for the people.
Do not marginalize our people (fishermen and women) but resource and give them the opportunity to venture into this luxurious business.

Concern Sea Cucumber
Fishermen