President Dr Mohamed Muizzu reaffirmed his commitment to raising the fish purchase price to MVR 20 per kilogram today.
He made this guarantee while he met with the local fishermen at the President’s Office today, where union representatives expressed satisfaction with the government’s progress in implementing proposals previously submitted by the fishing community.
The fishermen’s primary request was to revise the fish purchase price to MVR 20 per kilogram, in line with the government’s earlier pledge. According to current data from Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Limited (MIFCO), the company pays MVR 16 per kilogram for frozen fish and MVR 14 for unfrozen fish.
Fishermen also called for several other measures, including access to fuel at State Trading Organisation (STO) rates, the introduction of digital weighing scales, an expansion of fish weighing stations, and the installation of additional Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). The union further proposed the implementation of a daily payment system for weighed fish and requested consideration for granting Ramadan bonuses to fishermen.
They thanked the President for the government’s ongoing efforts, particularly praising the introduction of the 48-hour payment system. They noted that this initiative, among others, had visibly improved the sector, with increased youth involvement in the fisheries industry.
President Muizzu reiterated his administration’s commitment to upgrading ice plant facilities, as outlined in his Presidential Address, and confirmed that capacity-enhancing projects remain on track for completion.
Regarding Ramadan bonuses, the President said he intended to extend the benefit to all eligible workers, including fishermen. He stressed the importance of distributing such allowances through a structured framework based on the official fishermen’s registry and encouraged the union to approach the matter constructively.
He concluded the meeting by reaffirming his commitment to collaborate closely with fisheries sector stakeholders to address challenges and to support the industry’s continued growth and prosperity.
