Reflecting a decrease in the prices at which the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) is now purchasing tuna from fishermen, the market-price of smoked tuna products has also been reduced.

MIFCO announced that a kilo of smoked tuna (Valhomas) has been reduced from MVR 120 per kilo to MVR 105 per kilo.

MIFCO also revealed that the prices for cans of tuna chunks in brine would now cost MVR 11.25 instead of the previous price of MVR 12.05, and that a following this decrease in prices, a case could be purchased for MVR 530 as opposed to the earlier price of MVR 595.

The prices for case of tuna chunks in oil is currently at MVR 575 with the price per can at MVR 12.25; this is a decrease from previous prices where a case sold for MVR 640 with the price per can at MVR 13.05.

"Fasmeeru" brand canned-fish is extremely popular among Maldivian consumers, with the first factory to produce such canned-fish products from the catch brought in by Maldivian fishermen having opened in the country on 3 February 1978. Back then, the canning factory had only been able to process and can eight metric tonnes of fish a day.

Now, MIFCO's factory has a daily capacity of processing and canning 50 metric tonnes of fish, with different products dedicated to households and businesses.

MIFCO's "Felivaru" factory produces canned-fish products and fish pouches in family-sizes and jumbo-packs for restaurants and other businesses. 10 to 12 containers of canned fish are loaded and shipped to different islands of the Maldives every month.

These products are also exported to international markets as in the UK, Europe, Asia, the Middle-East and Africa, where they continue to be received well with increasing popularity among foreign consumers.