Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO) has decided to procure more boats to increase fish processing capacity. Fishermen have faced challenges in processing their catch due to the current fish processing capacity being inadequate during the high season.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ismail Fauzee said MIFCO is working to procure boats with cold storage facilities and brine freezing capabilities. The company currently has two such boats in its fleet. They are Jazeera 102, which has a 100t storage capacity, and Mahaa Kalaminja, which has a 90t storage capacity.
Additionally, Fauzee said that MIFCO is looking to procure high quality vessels that are also able to process and store fish efficiently. He said that boats from Japan, Thailand, and other countries are being inspected. He said that the new boats are expected to begin operations during the high fishing season in order to solve the issues in processing.
MIFCO processed 300t of fish on September 14, as fishing continues to improve in Dhaalu Atoll and Thaa Atoll.