An additional 50-tonne ice plant will be opened in Felivaru before Fishermen's Day, Fisheries Minister Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan has said.
The minister shared information on Feliveru ice plant at the Parliament on Monday. The minister said a 100-tonne ice plant will be established in Felivaru, and a 50-tonne ice plant will be established before Fishermen's Day, which is celebrated on December 10th.
The minister said a brine freezer with the capacity to freeze 200-tonnes of fish and a refrigerated sea water system that can freeze 80-tonnes of fish are also being established in Felivaru. The existing 550-tonne cold water storage in Felivaru will be upgraded to a 4000-tonne storage, he added.
The minister further said the completion of the Felivaru Fisheries Complex upgrading project will bring about ease and benefit to fishermen, especially those in Lhaviyani atoll and other northern atolls. The projects planned for Felivaru and Kooddoo will bring about revolutionary changes to the fishing sector, he added.
The government is also working on upgrading Kooddoo Fish Factory's storage capacity in order to increase purchase of fish. In this regard, the existing 2000-tonne fish storage will be upgraded such that a further 4000-tonne of fish can be stored. This will increase total storage capacity to 6000-tonnes.
MIFCO's Managing Director in an earlier interview given to AVAS said the development of Felivaru and Kooddoo is jointly financed by the Saudi Fund for Development, and the Indian EXIM Bank. The value of the project is USD 17.5 million. Part of Felivaru lagoon will be reclaimed, and cold storage facilities and other facilities will be constructed on the reclaimed land. Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has been tasked with the dredging and reclamation component of the project.
