President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has announced the government’s plans for the fisheries sector for the upcoming year, as part of the efforts to strengthen the sector.

The president revealed these during his address to mark National Fishermen’s Day, marked annually on December 10.

As such, Solih said that 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, as well as help to resolve present difficulties in weighing and valuing fish catch, by setting up a fish purchasing facilities.

Additionally, the government is to work to strengthen mariculture “on a national scale” among many other such initiatives.

President Solih also highlighted the reasons behind why the country started celebrating Fishermen's Day 40 years ago, and stressed 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”.

Noting that the fisheries industry provides not only for the dietary sustenance but also contributes immensely to the county’s exports and the overall economy, the president said that the day is celebrated to give fishermen and women their due respect.

The president also spoke on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its toll on the industry, and stressed on the “urgent need to invest more in [the] sector as part of the Maldives’ economic diversification efforts”.

He highlighted that the pandemic “very clearly” illustrated the dangers of Maldives’ whole economy being overly dependent on a single industry, and reiterated that strengthening and expanding the fisheries sector will be an important part of the country’s recovery and resilience efforts.

President Solih ended the address by encouraging the public to give their full support towards the advancement of the Maldives fisheries sector, assuring that the government will do its part.

Strengthening the country's fisheries sector is a major pledge of the incumbent president.