Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Zaha Waheed has said that efforts are underway to establish 13 ice plants across the nation to ease difficulties faced by fishermen in acquiring ice in which to store fish.

Minister Zaha made the remarks in an appearance on Raajje TV's "Viyafaari Miadhu" programme, adding that the number of active fishing vessels had increased significantly and that fishermen were facing extreme difficulties in acquiring ice and preserving the freshness of their catch.

The minister further revealed that the funds to resolve this issue had been acquired, and that work was underway to develop 13 ice plants across the nation within the year.

In addition to this, Zaha also addressed difficulties faced by fishermen as they had to wait in long queues before being able to weigh their catch. She said that a project to increase MIFCO's storage capacity had commenced, and that 4000 metric tonnes would be added to the storage capacities of Felivaru and Kooddoo. She added that 500 metric tonnes of storage would be added to the storage capacity at Mulaku, along with an excess of 1000 metric tonnes being added to the Thinadhoo storage facility.

Minister Zaha declared these projects to be part of the plan to facilitate the weighing, storage and sale of fish across different regions in the country, and that the Fisheries Ministry aimed to pave way for the export of fish from Maldives in a way that was profitable to fishermen as well.

The fisheries minister also announced that special attention would be given to the populous regions of Meemu Atoll and the island of Thinadhoo in developing resources and making them accessible to fishing vessels.

During his address to mark National Fishermen's Day last December, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced plans to strengthen the country's fisheries industry including investing in 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.