The Bodu Kanneli Masveringe Union (BKMU) has called on the government to establish a minimum purchase price for yellowfin tuna and for the state fisheries company, MIFCO, to begin purchasing it.
In a statement released today, the union stated that its key demands include setting a minimum purchase price for yellowfin tuna between MVR 80 and 100, for MIFCO to start purchasing yellowfin tuna, and for the government to fulfill its promise to provide fuel and ice to fishermen at a base rate as soon as possible.
The BKMU statement highlighted as a concern the issue of yellowfin tuna fishermen not receiving an adequate price for their work, and that governments and politicians prioritize temporary personal interests over the sustainable development of the industry and the benefit of ordinary fishermen.
"Due to the many challenges currently facing yellowfin tuna fishermen and other fishermen, this fishery has been left to drift. As a result, income and expenses are mismatched, and vessel owners who have invested in the yellowfin tuna fishery, families who depend on it for their livelihood, and companies are going bankrupt," the statement read.
The BKMU statement expressed concern over the significant difficulties yellowfin tuna fishermen face in obtaining ice, and called on the government to fulfill its promise to establish an ice plant in every atoll to meet the ice requirements of that atoll as soon as possible.
BKMU is an association established to protect, promote, and sustain the yellowfin tuna fishing industry and the rights of fishermen. It is also an association that works in the interest of the industry for the sustainable benefit of everyone in the yellowfin tuna and Maldivian fishing industry.
