PUTRAJAYA: Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today promised to bring up the issue of local fishermen's low income to the Cabinet this week.
He said apart from that, the matter would also require cooperation from various ministries.
“I will bring up this matter in the upcoming Cabinet meeting which will be held in Langkawi this week.
“At the same time, I am of the opinion that this issue needs the cooperation of various ministries.
“The Domestic Trade Ministry of course is involved in this as it concerns the people, but at the same time, I believe this issue can be resolved with the cooperation of other ministries as well,” he said during a press conference after launching the Citarasa Malaysia Programme, “A Day with Small-Medium Entrepreneurs” at the ministry’s headquarters earlier.
Saifuddin was commenting a Berita Harian's special report on Sunday which stated that local fishermen were earning far less than foreign fishmongers who bought the fishes from them.
In his speech at the launch, he said the programme was a government initiative to assist local small and medium business entrepreneurs to boost the quality of their products and design a more competitive business strategy for them.
Saifuddin said from 2011 to 2018, the ministry has helped to assist 305 entrepreneurs to develop 142 local products with improved packaging and labeling.
He added that the ministry has received to RM20 million from Finance Ministry for this initiative.