 Adding value to local caught fish not only reduce post harvest fish losses but also helps to increase the income of local fisher folks, traders and processors. As local people know best what local consumers want, they are well-placed to meet the changing needs and taste of consumers and conquer domestic markets. But how can local fish traders and processors add value to their own products without going through a cumbersome process and making huge investments? In this video, we will see how a woman in Sakumono, a town in southern Ghana, is adding value to smoked fish and shrimps by processing them into powder for sale. With passion, effort and determination, Irene Adifia produces packages and markets her own fish and shrimp powder. And the fish powder too is very good, it's spices, you can use it for mini food, for children, for adults, for shito, for paparazzi, and for steel, you can use it and then there's no preservative. In fact, I've been using fish powder and then other stuffs from the market but since I started using this wine, I realized that this is different, it's of a quality, yes, there's no sand, nothing. Those ones are times you prepare the food in the process of eating, you bite and then there's sand in it but this one is pure and it's of a good quality. So how is Irene able to produce good quality fish and shrimp powder from her home? The processing of fish and shrimp into powder basically undergoes the same procedure, which is very easy and straightforward, it can be done without the use of expensive equipment. The only equipment required is an oven and containers to package the final product. So how can we turn fish into powder for consumption? First, you have to buy smoked fish from the market. Irene, like many other processes, prefers herring to other kinds of fish because it is easy to grind and taste better in powdered form. When buying the fish, ensure that it is freshly smoked, this is because freshly smoked fish taste better than those that have been in the market for days and also because the fish powder will be stored in containers for a long time, it has to be fresh so it does not go bad. First, I go to the market and look for fresh smoked fish, then I taste it when it's good quality, then I buy the quantity that I like, after that I descale it, then I nail it. To turn the fish into powder, you can take the descaled fish to your nearest meal. To ensure that the fish powder is without unwanted materials from the meal, sieve the fish powder to separate the chaff. With your oven preheated to 150 degrees Celsius, bake the powder fish for about 10 minutes to remove the moisture. The reason why I bake it and remove moisture from it is that so that it can last long, not for good quality. If you put it in the container fresh like that, it will not keep long in the container, it will spoil, but if you put it in the oven for about 10 minutes, you can realize that it tastes good when it tastes good and then it keeps long too. After baking, gently remove the fish powder and place it in an airy space to cool. You can then package the fish powder in clean plastic containers. It is important that the containers are dry or else, the powder will go bad very quickly. Finding a market for your new product may be a challenge at first, identifying market opportunities requires a lot of hard work. Introduce the fish or shrimp powder to nearby shops and markets. Your friends and family may also help identify possible outlets. Dealing with supermarkets may not be easy as they have strict requirements with regards to quality and quantity. In Ghana, to sell her fish powder in supermarkets, Irene had to register the product with the Food and Drugs Authority for certification. The label of the product also had to be approved by the regulator and have barcodes on it. While many consumers prefer buying certified products, you can also establish a reliable market by sticking to stringent hygiene and quality standards. When consumers like and trust your product, they will come back to you. Beatrice Ado is a school teacher and regular consumer. She likes Irene's fish powder, so much that she even started promoting it herself. My mates at the school usually buy it because of the way I talk about it. When I even bring the food to school, I give some to them to taste and then see how it tastes and they also talk about it a lot. So what are the uses of fish powder? Adding value to your product can be easier when you identify the opportunities around you. In Ghana, fish powder is mostly used to prepare food for babies as it is a good source of protein and adds a flavor. Fish powder is also an essential ingredient in the preparation of popular pepper sauce called shitor. It's of a good quality. When I use it to prepare meal for the kids, they love it. For instance, wache and shitor, apaparan sa, even porridge for the grannies, I use the fish powder. So what are the main things to remember? If you want to produce fish or shrimp powder, you need good quality freshly smoked fish or shrimp. Diskill the fish, mail it and remove the chaff. Heat it gently in the oven for 10 minutes to remove moisture. Store it well in clean and dry airtight containers. Consider how you will package it for the consumer and whether you need to certify the product. When you do a quality job, you can have pride in what you produce, just like Irene. Enjoy new and simple ways of adding value to local food and commit your time and resources to it. The products you create can earn you a better income.