Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Shiyam has revealed that there is still a pending amount of MVR 190 million owed to fishermen by MIFCO. He assured the government is working to find a swift solution.
Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam said on Friday that the Maldives government owed the fishermen of the country approximately MVR 250 million at the time President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu was sworn into office, and even though they have paid off a big amount from that, nearly MVR 190 million remains to be paid off.
In a post made on X, formerly known as Twitter, Minister Shiyam said since President Muizzu was sworn in on November 17, more than MVR 276 million has been given to fishermen. This was something the president had led, he said, and the money was handed over with the aid of Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO).
“These days are good fishing days with God’s blessing and with each day’s increase, there is around MVR 190 million that is unpaid to fishermen,” Minister Shiyam.
He said MIFCO and the government is working to fulfil the president’s request, even if it means obtaining a payment facility through a sovereign guarantee to achieve the purpose.
While answering a question by a citizen, President Muizzu said yesterday that even if the state’s fishing company MIFCO has to take a loan, they would do so in order to ensure the fishermen are paid.
“We have the guarantee we can give them [the money] very soon. We are in the process of handing over the money to all the fishermen as soon as possible,” President Muizzu said.
Fisheries Minister Shiyam today said that the former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's government's handling of money printing and lack of "financial discipline" posed challenges in finding a facility within and outside. However, his assurance is that the existing backlog will be cleared soon and the government will pay the fishermen.
“And other problems in the fishing sector should be addressed so that the fisheries manifesto of this government is implemented properly and the revenue from fishing increases. The President is at the forefront of resolving issues,” Shiyam said.
He pointed out that it was not easy for any individual or family to count the days when the fishermen were delayed in getting government dues, which leads them to become unable to meet their essential needs such as rent, utility bills, tuition fees of their children.
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