President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has participated in the 'Masveringe Gunzaru 2023,' a forum organised by the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources to commemorate this year's Fisherman's Day. During the event held in Meerumaa Hall, the President engaged with fishermen and inquired their concerns.
The forum, attended by captains, boat owners, fishermen, and industry professionals nationwide, provided a platform for the fishing community to express their challenges, concerns, and aspirations for industry advancement. President Dr. Muizzu acknowledging their struggles, outlined his strategic vision for the fisheries sector's progress, including plans for infrastructural development, processing factories, and cold storage facilities.
During the session, representatives from the fisher community openly expressed their challenges, concerns, experiences and aspirations for the advancement of the industry. They particularly emphasised the struggles faced by the fisher community and conveyed the necessary improvements to implement within the industry.
The fishing community expressed gratitude to the President for organising tonight's session to address their queries, highlighting their aspirations towards fulfilling the Presidential pledges for the sector's progress.
Addressing the aspirations of the fishing community, the president expressed his strategic vision for the advancement of the fisheries sector. The president elaborated on his plan to expand the fisheries sector to harness the maximum potential benefits within the territorial waters of the Maldives. He additionally delineated his strategy to increase the profitability of the fisheries industry through infrastructural development, including the establishment of processing factories and cold storage facilities.
Furthermore, the president noted the fisher community’s concerns were previously outlined and addressed through his presidential pledges. The primary focus of this session was to clarify the details of the presidential deposits. He affirmed the practicality of all his campaign pledges and reiterated the administration's commitment to their implementation. He expressed his belief the fisheries sector is the most sustainable in the Maldives and expressed dedication to ensuring the development of the fisheries sector into the most significant revenue-generating industry in the country. The president also noted that a particular emphasis would be placed on supporting the development of the fisheries sector through foreign aid.
President Dr. Muizzu highlighted that the new administration has successfully settled the outstanding payments owed to the fishermen by the previous administration within the first three weeks of taking office. He further stated that the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, in collaboration with the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO) and the Ministry of Finance, is diligently working towards disbursing the remaining MVR140 million in pending payments to the fishermen.
Speaking at the forum, Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, stated that the president would announce significant decisions at the forthcoming official Fisherman's Day function based on the discussions held at the 'Masveringe Gunzaru 2023'. Minister Shiyam underscored the administration's focus on advancing the fisheries sector, noting that the first paper presented to the Cabinet and the first decision made by the Cabinet pertained to the fisheries sector.
Concluding the forum, President Dr. Muizzu joined the attendees for a communal dinner, fostering an environment of interaction and open dialogue.