Fishermen's Forum begins

The second forum of the "Fishermen's Forum", conducted by the government to seek the opinions and consultation of fishermen, has begun today.

This year's meeting is jointly organised by the Fisheries Ministry and the state fisheries company, MIFCO. The Fisheries Ministry stated that 43 fishermen from 22 atolls and 8 fish processing companies are participating in this 2-day forum.

The Ministry said that this year's forum will discuss the challenges in the fishing industry and various ongoing and planned government initiatives to develop the industry. Accordingly, in today's first session, discussions were held on fishermen's concerns and possible measures to resolve the challenges in the fishing industry. To answer questions from fishermen and other forum participants, Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam, MIFCO's Chief Financial Officer Ilyas Haneef, Maldives Fisheries and Ocean Resources Marketing and Promotion Corporation's Managing Director Ahmed Zareer, Maldives Seafood Processors and Exporters Association representative Asif Abdulla, and Fisheries Ministry's Director General Dr. Hussain Sinan participated in the panel.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is working to further strengthen and expand the fisheries sector by meeting with fishermen and making decisions in accordance with their wishes. In this regard, earlier this year, he met with skippers, fishermen, and some fishermen's associations to look into their needs and hold discussions regarding them.