The Nilandhoo Council has requested the Ministry of Fisheries to expedite the practical work of the fish factory planned for development in F. Nilandhoo by the government.
The Nilandhoo Council made this request during a meeting held today with the State Minister of Fisheries, Aminath Hussain Shareef. During the meeting held at the Fisheries Ministry this morning, the council members requested two main things from the ministry. The first request was to quickly begin the practical work of the fish factory being developed on the island. The ministry stated that since the project is to be carried out with international financial assistance, the administrative work of securing funds is currently underway. The ministry also expressed high hopes that the practical work of the project will begin in the near future once that stage is completed.
As a second request, the council asked to repair the island's ice plant, which has halted operations, and bring it back into operation as soon as possible to arrange for ice availability for fishermen in the area. The council noted that when the ice plant was operating, fishermen in the area easily obtained ice and benefited from it. However, since the ice plant's operations have been halted for a long time, fishermen in the area are now facing difficulties. Therefore, the council requested to discuss the matter with MIFCO to find a quick solution.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that Nilandhoo will be designated as an urban center and that a fish factory will be developed on the island. The Nilandhoo fish factory is being developed to include a 1500-ton cold storage, brine and blast freezing facilities, and a 50-ton processing facility. The establishment of the factory has been contracted to Dongfang Electric International Corporation, a company with Chinese government shares. The council has allocated 7 hectares of land from the northern side of the island to establish the factory. While some fishing businesses are currently operating in that area, the council is working to relocate those businesses to another part of the island.
The Nilandhoo ice plant is a 25-ton ice plant established by MIFCO in 2015 at a cost of 3 million Rufiyaa. During President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration, the operation of the Nilandhoo ice plant was transferred to Fenaka. Subsequently, the current government transferred the ice plant back under MIFCO in February of this year, considering that Fenaka lacked the capacity to operate the ice plant.
