Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam has assured that the issue of fishermen not getting enough ice will be brought to an end within the five years of this government.
The Minister gave this assurance while answering a question posed by a participant regarding the government's efforts to resolve the difficulties in obtaining ice for fishermen, during the 5th forum of the "Ahaa" series conducted by the government to directly answer questions from the public.
In his response, the Minister stated that the lack of sufficient ice from various regions is one of the major issues that need to be resolved in the fishing industry today. Noting that many ice plants were broken when this government took over, the Minister said that to resolve the issue, 13 out of the 17 ice plants operated by Fenaka were transferred under MIFCO, and work was carried out to repair and bring them into operation.
"With this change, we had to make huge expenditures. Because the ice plants were left abandoned for so long and not maintained, many ice plants were not even working. Therefore, we had to spend a lot to bring many ice plants into operation. That work has been completed using the Ministry's budget," the Minister said.
The Minister stated that out of the 29 ice plants currently under MIFCO, all except three plants located in three regions of the Maldives are now operating properly. He added that work is also underway to bring the three non-operational plants back into operation.
Referring to the government's efforts to resolve the issue of fishermen not getting enough ice from different regions, the Minister said the government's target is to add another 700 tonnes to the current capacity of land-based plants. In this regard, he said that if the work of a total of 17 ice plants is carried out within these five years, the current ice availability will be increased, and the ice shortage will be brought to an end.
"God willing, we will completely end the ice shortage in the Maldives within these five years. Accordingly, this year alone, we have already started and are carrying out the work of three new ice plants. At the same time, to carry out the work of five more plants, they have been tendered, bids have been received, and they are currently in the evaluation stage," the Minister said.
The Minister said that the practical work of three ice plants carried out under the government's Public Sector Investment Program (PSIP) will be completed and brought into operation within the next three months, and the work of 5 ice plants carried out with the financial assistance of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), as well as the establishment of three additional plants through private funding, will also begin this year. The Minister said these are the 11 ice plants targeted to be carried out this year.
In addition to establishing land-based ice plants to resolve the difficulties faced by fishermen in obtaining ice, the Minister also shared updates on the efforts to establish RSW systems during last night's forum. Furthermore, the Minister highlighted the planned efforts to expand fishing, make it easier for fishermen, increase fishermen's income, and financially empower fishermen.
