Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Zaha Waheed has said that they are not able to change the least price for buying fish, to MVR 20 at this time.
The minister joined RaajjeTV's "Fala Surukhee" programme on Wednesday night, and said that they were unable to raise the prices of fish as a similar drop in prices is being observed in the international market for buying and selling fish at this time.
Stressing that the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) "is also just a company," Zaha said that it was unreasonable for them to be expected to buy fish at a higher price than they can sell due to changes in the international market.
She said that the cost of running such a company is also significant, and highlighted the importance of maintaining their finances during such a difficult time.
Minister Zaha added that MIFCO is a company that purchases fish from different regions, and that unlike other companies, they operate a fleet of vessels; she said that these are just a few of many projects MIFCO have undertaken to ease the difficulties being faced by fishermen out at sea.
"Unlike other companies, MIFCO buys fish from all over the Maldives. And unlike other companies, MIFCO also operates a fleet. We incur costs doing these things, and while running the company, but MIFCO is still looking to make things more convenient for fishermen"Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Zaha Waheed
On Tuesday, fishermen staged a protest against MIFCO, on Felivaru island of Shaviyani atoll where MIFCO has a fisheries complex. The protest was punctuated by four demands— keeping the price of fish fair and steady at MVR 20, and Felivaru facilitating better access to ice for fishing vessels, along with speeding up the development of Sh. Keekimini island as a fish collection site, as well as facilitating daily weighing and selling options for fresh catch.
The disturbance began early Tuesday on Felivaru island and prompted police presence, with seamen from 17 vessels taking part in the protest.
During his address to mark National Fishermen's Day on December 10, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced plans to strengthen the country's fisheries industry including investing in six new ice plants to increase storage capacity, while helping install cooling systems to increase storage on fishing boats, as well as setting up a fish purchasing facilities to help to resolve present difficulties in weighing and valuing fish catch.
