President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the issues faced by fishermen are being resolved by listening to their voices.
Speaking on today's episode of the "Rayyithunnaaeku" (With the People) podcast brought by the President's Office, the President said that he believes the fishing industry is the economic lifeblood of the Maldives. Therefore, reviving and expanding the fishing industry is viewed as highly important, and it has been included in his policies and manifesto.
The President said that when this government came to power, the fishing industry was heavily stagnant due to various reasons. The first issue resolved was the biggest problem at the time, which was the non-payment of dues to fishermen. The President noted that since this was resolved and regular, uninterrupted payments began being issued to fishermen, positive results are being seen.
Noting that the next biggest difficulty for fishermen is the lack of easy access to fuel and ice, the President said the government is currently working to bring major solutions to these issues as well, and these efforts are proceeding by listening to the fishermen's voices.
"I also meet with fishermen. I met with a team of captains at the President's Office as well. They came and shared everything they wanted. And now I maintain direct contact with them regularly. They can talk to me directly now. Even if they message me almost every day, I reply. Working closely with fishermen is very important to me," the President said.
The President further stated that in resolving the needs of fishermen, whether it is infrastructural development or establishing resources, the government will carry out that work. In this regard, he said the work of arranging fuel for fishermen at STO rates in one island of every atoll in the Maldives, as he had promised, is being carried out by entrusting it to STO. He also gave assurance that, as promised, the project will be completed by the end of this year. Furthermore, he disclosed that the work on ice plants started in various islands, as well as cold storage and processing facilities, is proceeding at a fast pace. Describing RSW systems as the future of fishing, he also revealed in today's podcast that additional loans are arranged to be issued for this purpose.
