KANGAR, Feb 16- Fishermen will always have their livelihood enhanced through various programmes, including the setting up of Fishermen’s Markets, said Perlis Agriculture and Agro-based Committee chairman Sabry Ahmad today.
“The government truly wishes to see fishermen living a better life and not remain trapped in poverty,” he said during the opening of the Fishermen’s Market at Simpang Tiga near here today.
“The saddest part is that some fishermen are forced to sell their catch as low as 50 sen a kilogramme, while retail prices of fish are much higher,” he added.
He said the Fishermen’s Market was the first of its kind set up by the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM) and managed by the Perlis Fishermen Association, aimed at benefiting both the fishermen and consumers. The RM70,000 market, which started operating a week ago, sells seafood products through the Kedai Ikan Rakyat 1Malaysia and is also a fresh water fish collection and distribution hub.
Speaking to reporters later, Sabry said the state government had also applied for a refrigeration centre in Kuala Perlis from LKIM, estimated at RM1 million, for the fishermen to store their catch.
BERNAMA
