The new government took office and inherited outstanding payments of MVR 200 million owed to fishers, Fisheries and Ocean Resources Minister Ahmed Shiyam has said.
In an exclusive interview with Adhadhu, the minister said MVR 30 million out of MVR 200 million has now been paid.
Asked about the difficulty in paying fishers, the minister said the state lacks sufficient funds, adding that lifting the suspension of the fiscal responsibility law would also facilitate avenues for earning revenue.
Some provisions of the law were suspended to ensure that overdraws from the public bank account do not become a custom, the minister said.
The state lacks the funds needed to carry out projects or serve the public, he said.
Means of increasing revenue had not been found when costs increased and the government instead relied on printing money, he added.
However, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and the government would try to fulfil pledges made to the public, including solving problems faced by fishers, Shiyam said.
He assured efforts to solve problems such as the failure to clear outstanding payments or immediately weigh fish catch.
"Hopes of the public rest with President Dr. Muizzu. We don't intend to say this happened because of that and tug on that. The President is working very fast to change the state of the country because the state's reserve had fallen very low," Shiyam said.
The minister also shared plans to increase the income of the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO). Increasing MIFCO's production would be a special priority, he said.
In line with President Muizzu's policy, avenues must be sought to add value and export fish products instead of unprocessed fish, the minister said, adding that a canned tuna factory needs to be established in the south of the country.
The complaints of fishers have not been adequately resolved so far. Fishers staged several protests during the previous administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Many resolutions were submitted to parliament and former Fisheries Minister Zaha Waheed, who faced stringent criticism, was ousted from her post.
