Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam has revealed that a top government priority is to disburse the outstanding payments to fishermen, with efforts resuming this week. He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the People's National Congress (PNC)’s headquarters, PNC House.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister Shiyam criticised previous administrations for damaging the fishing sector. He highlighted that the previous government had increased the fish purchase price to USD1.10 per kg and paid fishermen with non-existent printed currency. Despite raising the fish price to USD1.62 per kg during the presidential election, he also said that the previous administration still failed to pay the fishermen.
Additionally, Minister Shiyam noted that MIFCO had incurred a USD14 million loss in the first quarter of this year due to unprofitable fish purchases. He emphasised that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu prioritises settling the outstanding payments to fishermen, despite the challenging economic situation. So far, he said that the state has provided a USD18 million subsidy to MIFCO for fish purchases and a total of USD61 million to fishermen, including fuel and ice subsidies.
Addressing the fishermen's protests at the Fisheries Complex in Addu City, Minister Shiyam assured that the government would not abandon them. He expressed optimism that the government's efforts to develop the fisheries sector would yield positive results in the future, pledging better days ahead for the fishermen in the Maldives.