KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — The National Fishermen’s Association (Nekmat) aims to collect more than RM10 million in profit this year compared with RM7 million recorded last year following the increase in fishing revenue and the success of projects carried out by the association.
Nekmat general manager Azrin Shah Ismail said the amount of profit made by the association decreased last year due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic which restricted the movement of fishermen to generate income.
“We can see that the economy of Nekmat, the regional and state fishermen’s associations is better, which includes high sales results and projects are carried out (running smoothly) without any restrictions,” he said.
Azrin was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 37th Nekmat annual general meeting, which was officiated by the secretary-general of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (Mafi) Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid at the World Trade Centre here, yesterday.
Azrin Shah also said that Nekmat will distribute a dividend of RM1.7 million to its 100,000 members in 13 states before December.
Meanwhile, Haslina praised Nekmat’s achievements in further improving the economic and social standards of the fishing community to ensure that the welfare of the group is protected and secure the future of the country’s fisheries sector.
She said the government allocated a total of RM77.2 million in the 12th Malaysia Plan through the Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) for projects in the fisheries sector as well as fishermen’s welfare including the construction or upgrading and improvement of complex infrastructure and LKIM fishing jetties and the community-based aquaculture project.
“(Other activities are) various programmes include empowerment of fishermen’s market; development of fish collection and distribution hub; national fish buffer stock; frozen fresh fish; empowerment of fishermen’s group economic project; construction of boats for fishermen’s association; modernisation of coastal fishermen; fishermen’s fund and fishing entrepreneurs,” Haslina said.
She expressed hope that the cooperation and commitment of LKIM, Nekmat and Mafi to continue to make the country’s agro-food sector sustainable, guaranteeing food security to drive the country’s economic growth.
— Bernama
