The Government of the Maldives has stated it has worked with the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) to solve the fish processing issues in the southern region.
MIFCO earlier stated it has controlled the fish purchases in the southern region due to the current overload on fish carrying and processing capacity, which was caused by the high number of fish being caught in the south.
In a press release, the government stated it has heard the complaints of fishermen having to wait at the Kooddoo Fisheries Complex and is working with MIFCO to provide means by which they can process their fish quickly. As such, the government has formulated an implementation plan after discussions with fishermen to allow them to wait in a queue and be notified of the specific date on which their fish will be processed.
Additionally, MIFCO has brought in boats with cold storage capacity to alleviate the overload on the carrying capacity of the southern fleet, which includes a boat capable of purchasing and transporting 100 tonnes of fish per day and a reefer carrier with a storage capacity of 2,400 tonnes.
Furthermore, MIFCO stated it continues to purchase fish up to its maximum capacity and has been able to purchase 19,000 tonnes of fish and pay a total of USD19 million to fishermen so far this year. The company detailed that its southern fleet purchased a daily average of 100 tonnes of fish and that the highest number of fish are processed at the Kooddoo Fisheries Complex while the second-highest number of fish are processed at the Addu Fisheries Complex.