Fishermen are Being Paid, Backlog will be Cleared Before Ramadan, Says Minister

Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam has said that MVR 50 million has been released to fishermen on Tuesday alone and the outstanding amount will be paid before the start of Ramadan.

The biggest challenge in paying the fishermen was the increase in the price of fish from MVR 17 per kg to MVR 25 per kg by the last government during the last presidential election campaign. Additionally, MVR 250 million for the weighted fish after the price change was not paid.

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Despite the release of funds, Minister Shiyam acknowledged that a considerable outstanding amount of MVR 147 million still remains. However, he assured that concerted efforts are underway to expedite payments, with a commitment to initiating disbursements within 48 hours of fish weighing.

Following an evaluation of fish prices sourced from the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO), the government has opted to adjust the purchase price of fish to MVR 20 per kg. This decision came last month after deliberation with the Economic Ministry.