Today is the Last Day of the Week MIFCO Promised to Pay Fishermen!

While the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) has stated that arrangements will be made to pay for the fish weighed by vessels within this week, today marks the final day of the current week.

MIFCO stated on the 21st of this month that the company is working tirelessly to secure the "pending" money owed to fishermen as soon as possible and deposit it this week. It also stated that the goal is to arrange for the funds to be deposited to vessel owners within this week. However, since today is the last day of the week the payments were promised, the company did not respond when this newspaper called to get an update on the matter. Neither the government, the Fisheries Ministry, nor MIFCO have dared to state a specific date when the money will be released. They only keep saying that they are working to secure the funds.

MIFCO last released payments to fishermen on September 29. On that day, 17,350,903 MVR (seventeen million, three hundred and fifty thousand, nine hundred and three rufiyaa) was released for fish purchased from August 24 to September 26.

According to information published by MIFCO, the company owes fishermen 9.1 million MVR for 882.32 metric tonnes of fish weighed at MIFCO facilities and boats from September 28 to October 14. Furthermore, MIFCO has not yet disclosed the amount of fish weighed from October 15 to yesterday, nor the amount of money owed for that fish. Therefore, the total amount of debt MIFCO owes to fishermen from October 27 to yesterday remains unclear.