President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has assured that the price at which the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) purchases fish from fishermen will be increased to MVR 20, in accordance with his presidential pledge.
The President gave this assurance while speaking at a meeting held today with the Keyolhunge Lobby (Fishermen's Lobby).
During this meeting held at the President's Office this morning, the most important request made by the fishermen was to change the fish price to MVR 20 as per the President's presidential pledge. They also requested to pave the way for fishermen to easily obtain fuel from MIFCO, and to switch to using digital scales for weighing fish. Furthermore, they requested an increase in fish aggregating devices (FADs), more fish weighing locations, and a mechanism to receive payment for weighed fish on a daily basis.
At this meeting, the fishermen stated that they are very happy that the government has accepted and is implementing the proposals they submitted in the previous meeting. They noted that since the commencement of issuing fish payments to fishermen within 48 hours, the sector has seen progress and the number of youth entering the industry is increasing.
During this meeting, the President assured that the fish purchasing price will be raised to MVR 20 in line with his pledge. He also noted that efforts are underway to provide daily payments for fish, and that digitizing the entire fisheries industry is a target. Additionally, he noted that bank loans have now commenced and stated that he will work to further facilitate this. At the same time, he gave the assurance that the work to increase ice plants, as highlighted in the Presidential Address, will proceed and be completed. He also noted that he will work closely with those in the fisheries industry to resolve the issues highlighted in today's meeting.
The Keyolhunge Lobby is an association formed in December 2024 with the objective of advocating for the rights of fishermen and their families, specifically working to resolve difficulties and challenges in obtaining services available to fishermen, and identifying and facilitating opportunities for fishermen in the fisheries industry. The members of this association include captains, former captains, bait fishermen, vessel owners, fishermen, journalists, researchers, divers, and children of fishermen.
