KUALA TERENGGANU: Fifty fishermen from the South Kuala Terengganu Area Fishermen’s Association today received ‘touch point’ assistance worth RM55,000 from the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (LKIM).
Its chairman, Muhammad Faiz Fadzil said a 40 horsepower (40HP) boat engine, 49 units of insulated fish containers, 98 nets and 50 food baskets were given under the income enhancement programme, namely the Fishing Equipment Assistance (Touch Point).
“This donation aims to support and encourage fishermen to continue to increase fishing activities and increase the income of B40 fishermen so as to improve their standard of living and quality of life.
“Today, we also launched a motorcycle branded as a mobile fishing market, which is one of the main projects of LKIM to help upgrade the socio-economic status of fishermen,” he told the media at the LKIM chairman Madani get-together with Terengganu fishermen at the LKIM Chendering fishing port here today.
Muhammad Faiz said the fishing market, with the concept of ‘From the fisherman directly to the kitchen’, will also be launched nationwide involving 16 fishermen’s associations and it is one of the government’s efforts to reduce the price of fish.
“The aim is to cut or shorten the supply chain. In this economic sector, there are many layers that are among the factors that increase the price of goods.
“The concept of delivery from the jetty directly to the buyer at home is one of LKIM’s evolution to further empower the fishing market… so that we can shorten the supply chain and reduce the selling price without the use of middlemen,” he said, adding that the cost of building a motorcycle with a special fish container is RM10,000. -Bernama
