President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih says the government will help to ameliorate present difficulties in weighing and valuing fish catch, by setting up fish purchasing facilities.
Delivering remarks on the 40th Fisherman’s Day, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih reiterated the Government’s commitment to strengthening the Maldives’ fisheries sector and outlined his Administration’s upcoming initiatives in the next year to fulfill that pledge.
He said that towards this end, the Government will be investing in six new ice plants to increase storage capacity while helping install cooling systems to increase storage on fishing boats.
The President also spoke on the underlying reasons behind why the Maldives started celebrating Fishermans’ Day 40 years ago.
He said that the men and women who work in fisheries provide an invaluable service to the country whilst working long hours, often in difficult conditions and in adverse weather.
President Solih said that Our fisheries industry provides not only for our dietary sustenance but contributes immensely to our exports and the overall economy. This day is hence celebrated to give fishermen and women their due respect. President Solih expressed his well wishes and gratitude to everyone engaged in fisheries, as well as to their families while commemorating the occasion.
Acknowledging that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the Maldives’ fisheries industry, he spoke on the urgent need to invest more in this sector as part of the Maldives’ economic diversification efforts. The President highlighted that the pandemic very clearly illustrated the danger of our whole economy is overly dependent on a single industry and reiterated that strengthening and expanding our fisheries sector will be an important part of our recovery and resilience efforts.
Ending his remarks the President encouraged the public to give their full support towards the advancement of the Maldives fisheries sector, whilst emphasizing that the Government would, in turn, provide all the assistance it can towards this end. He offered a prayer to Allah Almighty, to grant success to all those who engage in fisheries and towards the Government's and public's efforts to facilitate and support their work.
