Skipper Abdulla Rasheed (Addu) has stated that the state-owned fisheries company, MIFCO, must station a fish weighing boat in the Male' region.
Sharing the challenges faced by fishermen in the Male' region, Skipper Addu said that while this area sees a large number of fishing vessels in operation, the lack of a state-established facility to weigh fish is a matter of concern. He highlighted that regardless of which government is in power, establishing a system to permanently station a MIFCO fish weighing boat in this region is very important.
"The most difficulties in fishing are here in the Male' region. Whether fishing is poor or good, there is no MIFCO boat for fishermen in this region to weigh their catch. All previous governments have heavily neglected this region. During the MDP government, a boat was stationed for some time. But it is not a permanent arrangement. This government does not even have such a thought. A MIFCO boat must be stationed in this region as well," Skipper Addu said.
Skipper Addu noted that the only state-owned ice plant in this atoll is currently located in Gaafaru, which causes difficulties in obtaining ice. The solution, he said, is to identify the areas where fishermen are most active and establish additional ice plants in this atoll.
"The Male' region is an area where fishermen from all parts of the Maldives come to weigh their catch. There is not even a state company ice plant here. The only MIFCO ice plant in this atoll is located in the northernmost part, in Gaafaru. Everyone comes to this region after catching fish. The difficulty in getting ice is extreme," the skipper said.
Looking at the Male' region, vessels entering the northern lagoon of Male' and the Hulhumale' yellowfin tuna jetty currently have to buy ice from private companies. Since these places sell ice at higher prices than MIFCO, and fuel is burned to travel to get ice, this results in a significant financial loss for fishermen. Therefore, the skipper emphasized the importance of establishing a way for fishermen in the Male' region to get ice at state prices, or setting up a state-run ice plant in the near future.
The skipper said that because there are MIFCO fish weighing facilities and boats in other regions, fishermen get paid for their catch within 48 hours. However, since fishermen in this region are not provided with such facilities, they have to weigh their fish at private companies, and they receive payment 10-12 days later. He highlighted this as a very significant disparity.
