No Intention to Lower Fish Purchasing Price Below 20 Rufiyaa: Minister

Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam has stated that the purchasing price of fish from fishermen will not be lowered below 20 Rufiyaa.

Speaking at today's parliament sitting, the Minister said that the government buys fish from fishermen at 20 Rufiyaa and exports it at a loss of six Rufiyaa per kilo; however, the government has no intention of lowering the purchasing price below that. He also noted that for fish already purchased at 25 Rufiyaa, fishermen will be paid at that exact rate.

The Minister stated that after reviewing the fish price, the current government has decided to issue payments on a weekly basis, and the 26 million Rufiyaa owed to fishermen from last week will be disbursed this week. Additionally, out of the outstanding payments, 100 million Rufiyaa will be paid before the 26th of this month. Furthermore, he assured that the 280 million Rufiyaa backlog currently owed to fishermen will be completely cleared before March 5.

The Minister highlighted that President Dr. Muizzu's intention is to clear the pending payments to fishermen, even if it requires the government to issue a sovereign guarantee to secure a loan or another financial facility. In this regard, the Finance Ministry, Fisheries Ministry, and MIFCO are working diligently to achieve this, the Minister said.

The Minister also appealed to fishermen to end their protests and return to fishing.