Negotiations are in progress to bring the Ensis cannery and processing plant in Hulhumalé back into operation after being idle for around eighteen months. The move is aimed at restoring a major industrial asset and boosting the Maldives’ fish processing capacity.
The plant’s current owner, Ensis Fisheries Pvt. Ltd., is in discussions with the state-owned Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) over a potential acquisition. MIFCO has completed technical assessments of the facility and plans to install new machinery and equipment to restart production.
When it opened on 9 December 2019, following a MVR 385 million investment, the Ensis factory was the largest fish processing facility in the Greater Malé region. It was built with the capacity to can 25 tonnes of fish per day, produce 1,000 tonnes of ice, and store 1,200 tonnes of chilled fish. The site also includes a fishmeal plant designed to turn fish waste into fertiliser.
Operations came to a halt when Ensis Fisheries, which employed about 200 people at the plant, faced financial strain after a policy change under the previous administration. The mandated increase in the purchase price of skipjack tuna to MVR 25 per kilogram was cited by the company as making the business unsustainable.
Founded in 2002, Ensis Fisheries began as an exporter of skipjack tuna and expanded in 2006 with its first processing facility. Its Enzy brand of processed fish products is distributed both locally and internationally.
