All regions of the country would soon be opened up to facilitate private parties to purchase fish directly from fishermen, President Mohamed Nasheed has revealed.
Briefing the media on Wednesday, the President said the objective of the opening up is to facilitate the best possible price for fishermen’s catch. He said discussions would be held with companies having exclusivity to purchase fish in the established zones on revoking the exclusivity permits issued by the previous government and if an agreement cannot be reached, the matter would be decided by the courts.
When asked about the concerns expressed by companies like Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) on the huge losses the companies may face if the country was opened up, the President said the government gives priority to protect the rights of the fishermen who have invested in the fisheries industry rather than the investments of a few companies.
Responding to a question from some media, a senior member of private company engaged in fisheries industry said during the campaign trails Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was very vocal on stopping fishing activities in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as it provided little revenue to the government and that the government is not so enthusiastic on doing it any more. He said the president’s plan to open up the country for private buyers shows the government’s intention to use the fisheries industry as a political tool.
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