Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Hussain Rasheed Hassan has stated cold storage units will be installed in 200 fishing boats by the end of this term. He made the remarks while responding to questions at the Parliament of the Maldives regarding the ice plant development project in Dhidhdhoo, Haa Alifu Atoll.
Speaking at the Parliament, Minister Hassan said the government opened the project for bidding in accordance with the pledge to build a 25-tonne ice plant on the island, but that the company that had applied did not meet the criteria to participate in the bid. The minister noted that the project will be conducted through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and that bidding will reopen soon.
Furthermore, Minister Hassan responded to a question regarding the development of the cold storage capacity in fishing boats by saying that the government is working to install refrigerated seawater systems in vessels, which will be funded through the state budget as well as through the financial assistance from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the SFD. He said the project was opened for bidding but the proposals did not meet standards and that the government has decided to allow Maldivian companies to participate in the international bidding process and provide them with small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He also addressed concerns over malfunctioning ice plants in various parts of the country and assured the issues will be solved in a few days.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has announced the government will spend USD 3.8 million this year to finance the installation of refrigerated sea water (RSW) systems on 118 fishing vessels. The president said the loans will be provided under the fisheries development programme to finance the installation of RSW systems with a storage capacity of between 10-15 tonnes.