Minister of Fisheries Ahmed Shafeeu has said that spending has to be increased for the development of the fisheries sector.

Maldives celebrates its Fisherman’s Day today.

Speaking on the TVM Raajje Miadhu program last night, Minister Shafeeu said that due to the decline faced by the sector today, spending has to be increased in order to develop fisheries and reach the desirable markets.

“We have to increase the spending on this sector to over come decline it faces today. I too believe that we don’t spend enough to try to reach the desirable markets, and that we don’t get the desired budget to do that,” said the Minister.

The Minister also said that the money that is required to engage in international promotion fairs and other development work has been incorporated into the 2013 budget proposed to the parliament.He said, however,that the Ministry has never been awarded the requested budget and noted that large sums had been deducted from their proposed budget every year.

He said that the unavailability of ice required to keep their fish fresh until they reach a buyer has been one of the fishermen’s principal complaints, as the value of the fish drops significantly if not properly iced. The Minister said that this problem will be solved soon.

“The biggest complaint we receive from fishermen is that they are not able to easily get ice. In order to solve this problem, we have opened for applications to draw loans to set up ice pants this year. We have some funds allocated now for that purpose specifically. We have announced for the loan application,the process is going forward,” said the Minister.

The Minister sent his Fisherman’s Day greetings to all fishermen in the country. He said that Maldives fish is an internationally accepted brand and urged all fishermen to work towards upholding this privilege by fishing responsibly.