President joins 'Masveringe Gunzaru 2023', a forum organised to mark the Fisherman's Day 09 December 2023

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu attended the 'Masveringe Gunzaru 2023' on Saturday night, a forum the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources organised to mark this year's Fisherman's Day. The President answered queries posed by the attending fishermen and joined them for the feast at Meerumaa Hall.

The President attended tonight's 'Masveringe Gunzaru 2023' session attended by captains, boat owners, fishermen, and other industry professionals across the country during the forum's commencement earlier this morning.

During this evening's session, representatives from the fisher community openly expressed their challenges, concerns, experiences and aspirations for the advancement of the industry. They particularly emphasised the struggles faced by the fisher community and conveyed the necessary improvements to implement within the industry.

The fishing community expressed gratitude to the President for organising tonight's session to address their queries, highlighting their aspirations towards fulfilling the Presidential pledges for the sector's progress.

Addressing the aspirations of the fishing community, the President expressed his strategic vision for the advancement of the fisheries sector. The President elaborated on his plan to expand the fisheries sector to harness the maximum potential benefits within the territorial waters of the Maldives. He additionally delineated his strategy to increase the profitability of the fisheries industry through infrastructural development, including the establishment of processing factories and cold storage facilities.

The President noted that the fisher community's concerns were previously outlined and addressed through his Presidential pledges. The primary focus of this evening's session was to clarify the details of the Presidential deposits. The President affirmed the practicality of all his campaign pledges and reiterated the Administration's commitment to their implementation. He expressed his belief that the fisheries sector is the most sustainable in the Maldives and emphasised the Administration's dedication to ensuring the development of the fisheries sector into the most significant revenue-generating industry in the country. The President also noted that a particular emphasis would be placed on supporting the development of the fisheries sector through foreign aid.

President Dr Muizzu highlighted that the new Administration has successfully settled the outstanding payments owed to the fishermen by the previous Administration within the first three weeks of taking office. He further stated that the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, in collaboration with the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Ltd (MIFCO) and the Ministry of Finance, is diligently working towards disbursing the remaining MVR140 million in pending payments to the fishermen.

Speaking at the forum, Ahmed Shiyam, the Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, stated that the President would announce significant decisions at the forthcoming official Fisherman's Day function based on the discussions held at the 'Masveringe Gunzaru 2023'. Minister Shiyam underscored the Administration's focus on advancing the fisheries sector, noting that the first paper presented to the Cabinet and the first decision made by the Cabinet pertained to the fisheries sector.

Concluding the forum, President Dr Muizzu joined the attendees for a communal dinner, fostering an environment of interaction and open dialogue.