State Minister of the Fisheries Ministry Dr. Amzath Ahmed has participated in the 'Global Ocean City Food Expo' currently underway in Xiamen City, China.
Representing the Maldives at the expo, the State Minister in his address outlined the Maldives' vision to further strengthen strategic ties with China in developing fisheries, expanding investments, and the value-added fish products industry.
Furthermore, he highlighted the opportunities available in the Maldives in value addition to fish products, mariculture, and fisheries-related tourism. At the same time, he promoted Maldivian tuna, noting that it is a globally recognized, environmentally friendly, and premium quality product.
His speech mainly emphasized further strengthening the Maldives' "blue economy" and transforming it into a sophisticated industry where value is added to products, rather than just exporting raw fish. In this regard, the Minister highlighted key areas prioritized by the government to strengthen investments and economic ties. The key areas highlighted include:
Value addition to fisheries products: Emphasizing the increase of fish processing factories and facilities in the Maldives to increase revenue from fisheries, instead of just exporting raw fish.
Developing mariculture: Providing information on the "Mariculture Zones" designated in the Maldives for the commercial breeding of marine life, and highlighting the importance of establishing hatcheries for breeding high-value species.
Fisheries-related tourism: Developing and promoting "Sport Fishing Marinas" as a new area of eco-friendly tourism, combining the Maldives' rich marine resources with world-class hospitality.
Sustainability and quality: Reaffirming that Maldivian tuna is a premium product caught using sustainable pole-and-line fishing, which has gained trust in the global market. The Minister noted that this is among the few such products globally.
The Minister's remarks on the strategic fisheries ties between the Maldives and China come at a time when important milestones have been achieved to further strengthen relations between the two countries in the fisheries sector.
Strategic fisheries ties between the Maldives and China:
Free Trade Agreement: The fisheries sector is currently at the forefront of implementing the Free Trade Agreement between the Maldives and China. The main objective is to reduce tariffs or duties levied on Maldivian fish products in the Chinese market and expand trade opportunities.
Direct market entry: Recent agreements signed between Ensis Fisheries and China's "Xinguang Show Beijing" have paved the way for direct import of Maldivian products into major Chinese retail markets.
Technology and research: A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Maldives Marine Research Institute (MMRI) and China's Fujian Fisheries Institute. The aim is to introduce eco-friendly, modern aquaculture technologies to the Maldives and collaborate in this field.
The 'Global Ocean City Food Expo', held in China from the 29th to the 31st of this month, is an important event in the marine products industry. Targeting the entire supply chain from the production of seafood products to the consumer, this event gives special importance to cold chain logistics and storage systems, healthy foods prepared using marine products, as well as traditional ingredients used in food preparation.
About 100 prominent companies in the global food industry and over 50 purchasing delegations from foreign countries participated in this event. Through this technical networking event, over 30 conferences and more than 10 sessions on the future of the industry are being held. Among these, the 'Marine Cities High-Quality Productivity Development Conference' is notable.
