Mauritius: Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Mr Alan Ganoo attended the official opening of the newly renovated Maison des Pêcheurs in Tamarin. The opening ceremony was hosted on Wednesday with several government leaders in attendance.
The aim of the renovation of the Maison des Pêcheurs in Tamarin was to upgrade Mauritius’s fishing infrastructure. The facility will provide the fishermen cooperatives with facilities to transform their fish catch into value-added fish products.
The government hopes that this initiative would revitalise the local fishing industry of the district, Through the Maison des Pêcheurs, the government wants to enable value-added fish processing activities.
The Mauritius Fishermen Cooperative Federation Ltd will be overseeing the development. Minister Ganoo called on the fisher community to use this facility carefully and judiciously. The facility will allow them to store, sell, and process their catch.
He urges on fishermen to make the most of the various schemes and grants set up in the fisheries sector. Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping and the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives is making sincere efforts for them to thrive
Naveena Ramyad said fishers should be aware of their vital role as key economic actors. Therefore, they should advocate for their interests as well as work collaboratively to enhance their professional activities. She pointed out the numerous advantages for fishers to form or join cooperatives.
These were highlighted in terms of collective bargaining power; cost savings; and access to financial, technical and other support and assistance, thereby leading to more resilient fishing livelihoods.
The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives detailed the various initiatives put in place to enhance the economic aspects of fishing.
She also appealed to the fisher community to avail of the six Cooperative Business Centres across the country. These will help them to obtain information and access resources and support.
The Minister also encouraged them to ask the National Cooperatives College to develop comprehensive training programmes.
The officials said that the programmes should be designed for fisheries cooperatives to improve the skills and knowledge of their members in a plethora of areas such as sustainable fisheries practices, business skills, technology and digital tools.