Fishermen paid all dues as of April; MVR 63M pending

State fisheries company MIFCO, on Monday, said they have settled all dues owed to fishermen as of April.

As per the company, the last payment was disbursed on Thursday, accounting for the dues incurred for the month of April.

Henceforth, MIFCO said dues accounting for approximately three weeks remain pending as of present, accounting for approximately MVR 63 million.

The new administration previously said it inherited a backlog of over MVR 250 million in outstanding dues to fishermen when it took office in November 2023. The delay in the disbursement of payments prompted strikes in February.  The fishermen suspended the strike on February 21, after the administration began disbursing the payments.

The new administration has pledged to resolve delays in the disbursement of payments for fishermen. Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam has previously remarked that the administration was undertaking efforts to facilitate instant payment for fishermen, upon weighing their catches.