Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan has revealed efforts are underway to expand Maldivian fish exports to the Turkish and Russian markets.
Speaking to PSM News, Minister Hassan said the fisheries ministry is in discussions with fishermen on solving the various challenges they face in their line of work. As such, the minister said the main issue the fishermen face is not receiving fair prices for their catch and that solving the issue is the key focus of the ministry. The ministry is currently working on exporting fish to the UK without paying duty and expanding fish exports to new markets such as Russia and Turkey, he said.
Furthermore, the minister highlighted the need for more investments in the Maldivian fishing industry as well as introducing more fish products. He said there are more ways to develop the fishing industry such as mariculture and aquaculture, which are the controlled cultivation of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants.
The statistics show that fish exports from the Maldives have recorded a significant increase this year and that most of the fish products are exported to Thailand and the UK.