Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Hussain Rasheed Hassan has said that cold storage units will be installed in 200 fishing boats by the end of this term.
Minister Hussain Rasheed made the remarks while responding to questions at the Parliament of the Maldives regarding the ice plant development project in Dhidhdhoo, Haa Alifu Atoll.
Minister Hassan responded to a question regarding the development of the cold storage capacity in fishing boats by saying that the government is working to install refrigerated seawater systems in vessels, which will be funded through the state budget as well as through the financial assistance from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the SFD. Moreover, the project was opened for bidding but the proposals did not meet standards and the government has decided to allow Maldivian companies to participate in the international bidding process and provide them with small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced that the government will spend MVR 59 million this year to finance the installation of refrigerated sea water (RSW) systems on 118 fishing vessels.
