The Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Ocean Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, says the Maldives has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the United Kingdom's decision to remove tariffs on imported fish.
Speaking at a press conference held at the President's Office, Minister Shiyam said the UK government's decision to abolish tariffs on imported fish has provided the greatest advantage to the Maldives, despite the measure applying to all countries.
On 20 May, the United Kingdom removed tariffs on fish imports as part of efforts to help reduce the cost of goods in the British market.
Responding to criticism from the opposition, Minister Shiyam said the tariff removal was not introduced specifically for the Maldives. However, he said the Maldives was the country that benefited the most from the decision.
The minister said the current administration had been working towards this outcome since taking office. He added that during President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's official visit to the United Kingdom, the removal of tariffs on Maldivian fish was raised as a priority issue in every meeting.
The United Kingdom is the second-largest export market for Maldivian fish, while the Maldives is the ninth-largest supplier of fish to the UK. Minister Shiyam said the Maldives had made the greatest gains from the tariff removal and had also invested the greatest effort in achieving the outcome.
As a result of the UK's decision, the 20 per cent tariff previously imposed on fish exported from the Maldives to the United Kingdom has been suspended until the end of 2028.
Before the change, seven of the ten largest suppliers of tuna products to the UK were Ecuador, Mauritius, Seychelles, Ghana, the Philippines, Spain and the Netherlands and already enjoyed duty-free access to the British market.
The Maldives exports tuna worth between 16.7 million pounds and 18 million pounds to the United Kingdom each year.
The government said it will continue discussions with the British government to seek a permanent removal of the tariff.