Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam says this administration has given around MVR 933 million to fishermen including subsidies for oil and ice.
Speaking at the ceremony held to open the ruling party PNC's new party center, PNC House, Shiyam said that the government has given the highest priority to making the payments due to the fishermen for their catch.
He said that this work would continue this week. The Minister further criticized the government of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih saying that though the former government printed money in the millions, it did not give the due payments to the fishermen.
The Minister explained that at the beginning of their term, the price of 1 kg of skipjack tuna was at MVR 16. He said however the former administration spiked the price of skipjack tuna to MVR 25 in 2023 as the Presidential election neared.
The Minister said that since that day and till the end of their administration, the former government did not issue any payments to the fishermen and Maldives Industrial Fishing Company MIFCO has suffered a loss of MVR 1.6 billion till the first quarter of this year for buying fish catch at a loss.
Shiyam noted that the state has issued MVR 270 million as subsidies to MIFCO to make fish purchases and that the government has given MVR 933 million to fishermen including ice and oil subsidies.
Pointing to the demonstrations initiated by fishermen at the Fish processing factory in Addu, the Minister said that this government would not hide from the demands of the fishermen and that it would not be upset with the fishermen for voicing their discontent.
However, he said that the government would not allow damage to people and government properties during these demonstrations.
He assured the fishermen that they would be able to enjoy the benefits of what the government is currently implementing to develop the fisheries industry in the next year or so.
