Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam has said that the government will increase the cold storage facilities and fish processing capacity to develop the fisheries industry further.

Speaking at a press conference at the President's Office today, he said the fishermen of the Maldives are forced to export meat at low prices because of the neglect of the fishermen by previous governments.

"We have to export fish as raw meat. Exporting fish is very expensive in various forms in world markets. That is why we are forced today to export fish as raw meat. The buyer sells the fish as he wants in the market he wants . I wouldn't say the same price," he said.

To address that, the government has decided to implement several projects to increase cold storage facilities and fish processing capacity in different parts of the country. The projects are expected to be completed by mid-2026, he said.

"The Felivaru processing facility in Lhaviyani Atoll is adding 100 tonnes, now the amount of fish processed is 35 tonnes. Faafu Nilandhu 100 tonnes and GDh. Fiyoari 100 tonnes. Maldives' processing capacity will increase by nine times. Cold storage has increased three times The biggest revolutionary change. The biggest improvement will be doubled or tripled if these processing facilities and cold storages are completed,” he said.

This will give the Maldivian fishermen the same real price of fish and if the price of fish can be exported in the Maldives, the foreign exchange earned by exporting fish will increase many times, he said.

"Currently, the state has 35 tonnes of processing capacity. However, by the end of this government, 350 tonnes will be processed. Maldives' cold storage capacity will be increased to 25,000 tonnes within the next five years," he said.