Maduvvari WDC to form a cooperative society

The Women's Development Committee (WDC) of R. Maduvvari has expressed interest in forming a cooperative society on the island.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Fisheries stated that since the committee expressed interest in forming a cooperative society, discussions were held and the Ministry is providing assistance to establish the society. As such, the Ministry stated that special sessions regarding this were conducted in Maduvvari from October 20 to 24.

During these sessions, information regarding the Cooperative Societies Act, establishing a cooperative society, and the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) standards on "How to act in the work of producing and selling food for personal livelihood" for households producing food items were shared with the participants. In addition to discussing the formation of the Maduvvari WDC's cooperative society, work on drafting the cooperative's basic and operational regulations was also carried out.

These sessions were held under the "Promotion of Blue Economy in Fisheries Sector of the Maldives" project, conducted jointly by the Maldivian Government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Information in these sessions was provided by relevant technical experts from the Ministry. Under this project, information sessions were also conducted in M. Dhiggaru last month. The Ministry noted at the time that parties from Dhiggaru had also expressed interest in forming a cooperative society during those sessions.

Under the "Promotion of Blue Economy in Fisheries Sector of the Maldives" project, research is also being conducted to identify changes needed in the bait wells of fishing vessels to keep bait alive for longer periods in the Maldives fishery. Through this work, changes have been made to the bait wells of 3 vessels so far. The changes made to the bait wells of these vessels include facilitating water circulation in the bait well and ensuring dead bait can be removed without sinking to the bottom of the well.