Fishermen and their families have been facing difficulties due to the prolonged delay in receiving payments for fish sold to MIFCO. This led to protests by fishermen at the Kooddoo Fish Factory and Addu Fisheries Complex last month. The situation escalated to the point where fishermen halted operations at these facilities and went on a hunger strike.
Following this, Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam made an urgent visit to Kooddoo, met with the fishermen, listened to their concerns, and assured them that efforts would be made to resolve the issues. During the protest, fishermen demanded that all outstanding payments be settled before they would end the demonstration.
After the Minister's visit, MIFCO CEO Ahmed Shamah Rasheed and a management team traveled to Kooddoo. After holding intermittent meetings to appease the fishermen without fulfilling their conditions, the CEO secretly returned to Male'. While fishermen were discussing the CEO's disappearance, MIFCO stated that he had returned to Male' to work on releasing the funds owed to them.
The fishermen ended their protest on February 21 after MIFCO agreed to release the outstanding payments in installments. Prior to this, they had stated they would not go fishing or leave Kooddoo unless the money was paid in full. However, once arrangements were made and a payment plan was established, the fishermen departed Kooddoo. At the time, they stated they were going fishing out of desperation, noting that if the protest dragged on, their livelihoods would remain stalled and their families would starve. With Ramadan approaching, they added that the only way to earn additional money for basic needs was to go fishing.
Since the protest ended, MIFCO has disclosed to the media that a total of MVR 155 million has been disbursed to fishermen. The government claims the backlog stands at MVR 280 million.
Details of payments made to fishermen after the protest:
- February 21: MVR 70 million
- February 26: MVR 35 million
- March 5: MVR 50 million (currently being processed)
The government had previously stated that the backlog of payments owed to fishermen would be cleared before March 5. However, during a press conference held by the Fisheries Ministry today, when a journalist asked for details regarding the backlog and the government's promise to clear it, the Minister replied that there is currently MVR 147 million in the 'backlog' and that it would be cleared before Ramadan.
Although the government promised to clear the 'backlog' by March 5, MIFCO has not provided updated details on how the funds are being disbursed. MIFCO has not detailed the exact amount of the 'backlog' or how much has been paid up to March 5. Consequently, it has become difficult for the media to clarify this issue for the public when reporting on it, as the figures do not add up.
Regardless, based on the information available so far, it is evident that the 'backlog' has not been completely cleared.
