New Delhi, Jul 26: The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and the Maldives to enhance bilateral collaboration in the fields of fisheries and aquaculture aims to promote sustainable tuna and deep-sea fisheries, strengthen aquaculture and sustainable resource management, foster fisheries-based eco-tourism, and support innovation and scientific research across both the countries, the government said on Saturday.

The Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources of the Maldives have signed an MoU to enhance bilateral collaboration in the fields of fisheries and aquaculture.

The MoU is part of six MOUs exchanged between India and Maldives during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the island nation, according to Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Key areas of collaboration outlined in the MoU include value chain development, mariculture advancement, trade facilitation, and capacity building within the fisheries sector.

As part of this initiative, the Maldives will scale up its fish processing capabilities by investing in cold storage infrastructure and strengthening the aquaculture sector through hatchery development, improved production efficiency, and the diversification of cultured species.

The collaboration also will facilitate training and knowledge exchange programs, with a focus on capacity building in aquatic animal health, biosecurity screening, aquaculture farm management, and specialised technical fields such as refrigeration, mechanical engineering, and marine engineering to support long-term skills development within the sector.

According to the ministry, the cooperation reflects the shared vision of India and Maldives to build a more resilient, innovative, and sustainable future for the fisheries industry.

Several agreements across diverse sectors were signed which reaffirmed the bilateral partnership between India and Maldives.

These include agreement for a Line of Credit (LoC) of Rs 4,850 crore to the Maldives; amendatory agreement on reducing annual debt repayment obligations of the Maldives on Indian government-funded LoCs; to launch the India-Maldives Free Trade Agreement (FTA)-Terms of Reference; MoU on cooperation in the field of Fisheries and Aquaculture; MoU between the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Maldives Meteorological Services (MMS), Ministry of Tourism and Environment; and an MoU on cooperation in the field of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation, among others.

(IANS)

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