 |
|
YT photo by Mahmoud Assamiee |
SANA’A, June 30 – The Ministry of Fisheries stopped 70 trucks carrying fish exports to Saudi Arabia for three days at the Attiwal border outlet, Hajja, over a new increase in export fees.
The ministry raised the export fees from YR 4 per kilo to YR 7 per kilo, said Qasem Mabrouk, fish exporter and member of the Fish Export Union. He explained that the new increase is a violation of law No. 5 for 2006, which stipulates that exporters should pay an export fee of YR 4 per kilo of fish where the fish is priced between YR 100 to YR 700 per kilo.
“The fish we export is of the cheapest type of fish and does not deserve this increase,” he affirmed.
Deputy Director of Quality from the Ministry of Fisheries, Nabil Al-Kawn, says the ministry was only applying the law which was issued in 2006. The law stipulates that every exporter should pay export fees of YR 7 per kilo of fish, he said.
“We directed all governorates’ offices to apply the new increase and all responded except the Hajjah office,” said Al-Kawn.
Al-Kawn added that any increase is imposed by a law, and that these new fees go to the state’s budget.
A fish exporter said that this increase does not apply to their fish as they are of a lower price type. He said that if the increased export fee remains, they will have to stop buying from fishermen and that this will have a negative effect on many families which depend mainly on fishing.
Chairman of the Economic and Media Center, Mustafa Nasr, said there are many problems concerning the ministry and its offices in governorates dealing with fishermen.
He revealed that many fees imposed on fishermen do not go to the state’s budget but to the ministry. “Fishermen get receipts for what they pay to the public budget but also pay money to the ministry’s offices without getting receipts,” said Nasr.
Nasr demanded the formation of a fact finding committee to investigate the issue and to make a comparison between the prices in local markets and that of exported shipments so as to arrive at a reasonable export fee on fish.
“I believe the ministry does not play its role in helping fishermen as it is only active in Sana’a, while its offices across the country are busy with collecting money,” said Nasr, citing the killing of Yemeni fishermen by Eritrean marine forces and 400 boats that have been seized by Eritrea.
Yemen Times later learned that the trucks had been released by a directive from the Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defense Affairs, Rashad Al-Alimi. But as the exports will reach Saudi markets a week later, exporters worry that these exports will have been affected by the delay.
The government run Saba Net website stated that Yemen’s fish exports reached 99,447 tons last year valued at USD 223 million. Yemen exports fish to 44 countries around the world. More than 400,000 Yemenis work in fishing and the fishery business.