Fishermen have asked President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to increase the price of a fish kilogram to MVR 20. President’s Office said the president met with fishermen this morning. According to the president’s office, the fishermen thanked President Muizzu for the government’s ongoing efforts and highlighted the benefits of introducing of a 48-hour payment system, which has led to a rise in youth participation in the fisheries industry.
During the meeting, the fishermen’s primary request was to revise the fish purchase price to MVR 20 per kilogram, aligning with the government’s earlier pledge.
Other requests included facilitating access to fuel at State Trading Organisation (STO) rates, the use of digital weighing scales for fish, the expansion of fish weighing stations, and the installation of additional Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).
The union also proposed the establishment of a system for daily payments for weighed fish and requested consideration for providing Ramadan bonuses to fishermen.
The President’s Office said “President Muizzu reaffirmed his commitment to increasing the fish purchase price to MVR 20 per kilogram and noted that work is already underway to implement a daily payment system and to digitise the entire fisheries sector.”
“He also highlighted the introduction of bank loan facilities tailored for fishermen and assured that the government would continue working to improve and expand access to financial support,” the President’s Office’s statement read.
President Muizzu also reiterated his administration’s dedication to enhancing ice plant facilities, and confirmed that ongoing projects aimed at increasing capacity would be completed as planned. He also expressed plans to extend the Ramadan bonus benefit to all eligible workers, including fishermen, and emphasised that such allowances should be distributed through a structured framework based on the official fishermen’s registry and encouraged the union to view the matter constructively.
At the moment, the government purchases a kilogram of fish at the rate of MVR 16. However, Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam said earlier that the fish purchase prices need to be set on a daily basis based on the international market. Fishermen met with the President last December as well to share their concerns.