The Maldives cannot increase its national earnings from fisheries without substantially reducing or completely stopping the export of unprocessed raw fish, Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam stated today.
Speaking at the official launch of the MVR 278 million "Aaruveri" Matching Grant Scheme under the World Bank–backed TransFORM project, the Minister outlined the major challenges facing the sector, noting that expanding revenue across the entire supply chain—from individual fishermen to commercial enterprises—requires urgent structural solutions.
Minister Shiyam emphasized that resolving industry-wide bottlenecks cannot be achieved by the government alone, but depends on actively empowering private stakeholders. While the Maldives has a long and proud history of sustainable fishing, chronic issues continue to hold the sector back.
"We consistently emphasize that unless we reduce or completely halt exporting our fish in raw form, we cannot increase the revenue the Maldives earns from fisheries."
— Minister Ahmed Shiyam
The Minister pointed out that because the country engages in seasonal fisheries, the lack of sufficient capacity to process and export catch at high market value deprives the industry of its full revenue potential. Furthermore, if fishers are unable to deliver their catch fresh to purchasing companies, they cannot receive top-tier prices.
Identifying access to finance as the single biggest obstacle preventing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and private operators from establishing vital foundations, the Minister highlighted the historical imbalance in state involvement:
"Even though our state-owned fish processing enterprise has operated for around forty years, we still do not have sufficient canning and processing facilities. Private companies are making efforts in this race. However, because fisheries is a primary industry lacking necessary infrastructure, excessive state intervention over time has sometimes caused the sector to lose its true industrial identity."
— Minister Ahmed Shiyam
Minister Shiyam explained that a genuine industry cannot consist solely of government activities; it must foster an enabling environment where private businesses and individual entrepreneurs can thrive.
Therefore, Minister Ahmed Shiyam noted that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s vision is to resolve the challenges in the Maldivian fisheries sector by creating an enabling environment for private companies as well, addressing these issues through the empowerment of the private sector.
