Maldives mariculture training reaches 102 people as annual target met

The government's Mariculture 4 programme has trained 102 people in the field of mariculture so far, with 44 of them trained this year alone, the Ministry of Fisheries has said. The programme is part of the government's efforts under Goal 14 of the Week 14 Roadmap of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, which prioritises developing mariculture as a separate industry and training Maldivians in the field. The training delivers modern aquaculture skills and teaches participants how to establish the hatcheries needed to nurture sea cucumbers. Originally arranged to run two batches a year, the programme was expanded to four batches annually after a presidential decision to accelerate youth development in the sector. With the fourth batch of this year's training completed, the government's target for the year has been successfully achieved. Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources Ahmed Shiyam said the most valuable work done to advance the mariculture industry is building the people needed for the field, adding that training is essential to strengthen the industry's foundation. He said the government is providing easy opportunities to those who want to expand businesses in the field and to those forming companies to enter the work, and assured that the government's full assistance will be available to overcome difficulties faced in expanding businesses. Beyond training, the government has introduced a special loan scheme called the Mariculture Scheme and is providing financial assistance to buy sea cages under an easy arrangement, aimed at opening opportunities for newcomers and helping existing businesses expand. Participants said the information received from the training programmes has increased their interest in the field. Investment in the Maldives' mariculture industry has been opened to Maldivians as well as foreign investors, with the government stating that the concessions offered are better than those given to foreign investors by countries where mariculture is advanced. The concessions include not taking acquisition cost and not charging land rent for a period of three years. The government describes the effort to transform the richness of the Maldives' seas into economic benefit as an important foundation laid to diversify the Maldivian economy beyond tourism and fisheries.