This Government Has Invested More in the Fisheries Sector Than Any Other in Recent Times - Minister

Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam has stated that the administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has made unprecedentedly large investments in the fisheries sector.

Speaking at the official Fishermen's Day ceremony, the Minister said that when this government took office, the fisheries sector was in a very fragile state. He noted that no previous government had a long-term vision for developing the fisheries sector, and had only sought temporary solutions.

The Minister stated that the government faced major challenges in developing the fisheries sector. Highlighting that the previous government had increased the fish purchasing price from 17 Rufiyaa to 25 Rufiyaa for political purposes, the Minister said that if the price had been kept at that rate, the government would have had to provide over 1 billion Rufiyaa annually to MIFCO. He added that this situation had driven private companies to the brink of bankruptcy.

The Minister assured that this government would find comprehensive solutions to all the concerns of fishermen. Under the guidance of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, through the efforts of various ministries and the ministry's team, projects worth 4.5 billion Rufiyaa have been initiated, and these projects will be completed within the next two years, the Minister said. He emphasized that these are unprecedentedly large investments in the fisheries sector compared to any previous government.

Furthermore, the Minister stated that by the end of these five years, the Maldives' capacity to store fish at one time will be increased to 25,000 tonnes, and many projects are planned to be implemented to achieve this.

The Minister concluded by saying that by the end of these five years, the concerns of fishermen will be resolved.