President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that the biggest concern of fishermen today is the price they get for the fish they get weighed.
President Solih said this while speaking at the special ceremony held last last night on the occasion of Fishermen's Day.
In his talk, the President said that today's local fishing boats are not ordinary boats but now they are basically fish factories. He said that there are now fishing boats in Maldives that can store 80 tonnes of fish at a time and that the government is always working to address the concerns of fishermen and increase their profits.
The President said that the biggest concern of fishermen today is the price they get for the fish they get weighed.
"MIFCO is currently purchasing fish at the rate of MVR 17 per kg. However, Maldivian raw fish has to be sold at a lower price in foreign markets. MIFCO loses a lot of money by purchasing at this rate and selling it at a lower price. That loss is handled currently by the government giving money to MIFCO. Even though MIFCO is working this way now, this is not how a commercial company in the private sector should work. During the pandemic, even private companies involved in this industry have been sustained with the help of the government," said President Solih.
The President said that this year will be a notable year in the history of Maldivian fisheries. He said that this year is ending as the year in which the state-owned fisheries company MIFCO bought the most fish since 2006.
The President said that as of last week, 59,000 metric tonnes of fish had been purchased by MIFCO. And that this year is going to be the year in which the state fisheries company will pay the highest amount of money for fish bought from local fishermen.
President Solih said this while speaking at the special ceremony held last last night on the occasion of Fishermen's Day.
In his talk, the President said that today's local fishing boats are not ordinary boats but now they are basically fish factories. He said that there are now fishing boats in Maldives that can store 80 tonnes of fish at a time and that the government is always working to address the concerns of fishermen and increase their profits.
The President said that the biggest concern of fishermen today is the price they get for the fish they get weighed.
"MIFCO is currently purchasing fish at the rate of MVR 17 per kg. However, Maldivian raw fish has to be sold at a lower price in foreign markets. MIFCO loses a lot of money by purchasing at this rate and selling it at a lower price. That loss is handled currently by the government giving money to MIFCO. Even though MIFCO is working this way now, this is not how a commercial company in the private sector should work. During the pandemic, even private companies involved in this industry have been sustained with the help of the government," said President Solih.
The President said that this year will be a notable year in the history of Maldivian fisheries. He said that this year is ending as the year in which the state-owned fisheries company MIFCO bought the most fish since 2006.
The President said that as of last week, 59,000 metric tonnes of fish had been purchased by MIFCO. And that this year is going to be the year in which the state fisheries company will pay the highest amount of money for fish bought from local fishermen.
