Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam has announced that five ice plants have already been established, increasing capacity by 225 tonnes, and the work to establish 11 additional ice plants under a contractor finance model will be awarded within the next two weeks.
Speaking at today's parliamentary sitting, the Minister stated that the current administration has already established five ice plants, adding 225 tonnes to the Maldives' ice production capacity. He added that the evaluation of received proposals has been completed, and ice plants will be established in all the islands where discussions have taken place.
"God willing, we are starting the work on 11 ice plants very soon. We have evaluated the proposals received to proceed under the contractor finance model and, God willing, we are in the process of awarding the work to a contractor," the Minister said.
Furthermore, the Minister noted that out of the ice plants currently in the Maldives, 27 are operated under MIFCO. However, statistics show that only about 10 to 12 percent of MIFCO's capacity is utilized annually, he added.
Describing the previous government's decision to hand over ice plants to Fenaka as a "huge disaster," the Minister said that by the end of that term, not even half of the 22 ice plants were in operation. "That is what happens when it is handed over to people who do not know how to handle it," the Minister remarked.
