BELURAN – The high number of unlicensed fishermen in Sabah is worrying the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (Mafi) – an issue it wants to resolve as soon as possible.
Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee said that Mafi will ensure that no fisherman will be left behind, in particular with regards to getting them registered with the Fisheries Department so that they will be able to receive the government assistance allowance of RM300 per month.
“There are still a lot of fishermen in Sabah who do not have a license,” he said at a press conference after attending a gathering function with fishermen in Jambongan Island, Paitan today. “Mafi will take action through the Fisheries Department, with the help of the regional fishermen’s associations and the Sabah Fishermen Association.”
Kiandee, who is also Beluran MP, said that at the same time, the ministry will evaluate the registered fishermen’s list to ensure that they are genuinely full-time fishermen.
“Sabah is not the only state with unregistered fishermen’s problems," he said. “This also happens elsewhere in Malaysia. Action has been taken in several states, and we are now in the process of identifying whether or not the names in the list are genuine fishermen.”
The minister added that the government has allocated a special fund for the fishermen, and it must go to the target group. Besides the allowance, the target group also receive subsidised gas, where a total of RM151 million was allocated under Budget 2021 for the fishermen’s allowance.
Meanwhile, Kiandee said that there are 210 fishermen who do not have a license in Jambongan Island alone, which made them ineligible for the assistance. “This problem involves a huge number of fishermen – and agencies under Mafi, especially the Fisheries Department, must help these fishermen,” he added. – The Vibes, March 8, 2021
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