Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, has stated that the visit of the delegation from the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs and Native Produce (CFNA) to the Maldives will pave the way for exporting Maldivian marine products to China under the Free Trade Agreement. The Minister said this in a social media post regarding the delegation’s visit.
Members of the CFNA have met with various stakeholders in the Maldivian fishing industry to facilitate the export of Maldivian fishery products to the Chinese market. During their visit from the 13th to the 18th of this month,th of this month, the delegation met with fishing industry companies and observed their operations.
The main objective of this CFNA delegation’s visit to the Maldives is to further expand the fisheries trade under the Free Trade Agreement between the Maldives and China, facilitate the sale of Maldivian fishery products to the Chinese market, and strengthen economic ties between the two countries. This is a research trip for the delegation to assess the standards of the Maldivian fishing industry.
Regarding this visit, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed said that the delegation’s trip will bring progress to the ongoing efforts to export fish under the Free Trade Agreement. The Minister also said that the delegation has met with various stakeholders in the industry to assess the potential for fish exports from the Maldives. The delegation has met with senior officials from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and senior officials from that ministry. They have also met with MIFCO executives to understand their operations and with the Maldives Seafood Exporters Association to gather information.
During their visit, the Chinese delegation toured many facilities related to fishing and fish processing in the Maldives. This included meetings with sea cucumber exporters and tuna product manufacturers. They also visited the Maandhoo Fish Factory, Himmafushi Fish Processing Plant, and Maniyafushi to closely observe their operations and gather information. The Free Trade Agreement between China and the Maldives came into effect on January 1st of this year. The government’s main goal through this agreement is to export Maldivian marine fish to China and expand the fishing industry.
