Ministry of Economic Development has stated that fish purchases have increased by 42% and USD258 million has been disbursed to fishermen in the five years of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration.
Speaking to PSM News, Deputy Minister Riyaz Mansoor said many Maldivians are involved in the fisheries industry and that the number of active fishing boats and fishermen have increased. He said that fish purchases have increased during the current administration, which is continuing to provide more resources and equipment to fishermen.
Additionally, Deputy Minister Mansoor said that fishing needs to be developed further and that the projects commenced by the administration will bring about a revolutionary change to the industry. He also highlighted that Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) disbursed a record amount of USD64 million last year.
Furthermore, Deputy Minister Mansoor highlighted the efforts to build cold storage facilities across the country, adding that more investments need to be made to develop infrastructure to address the challenges of fishermen. He expressed concern that the completion of the ongoing development projects will double the amount disbursed to fishermen.
Moreover, Deputy Minister Mansoor said that prices of fish have also increased from USD1.1 to USD1.6 per kilogram. He added that the Maldives will be successful in its negotiations to eliminate the tariff on fish exports to the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU).