The reduction of fuel prices for fishermen was an important request that was submitted to H.E. Excellency at the conference of the National Fishery Federation, which was organized by the National Fishery Federation held on the 09th of August 2024.
In response to the request and according to the Cabinet paper submitted by the Minister of Fisheries on the 21st of this month, measures have been taken to reduce the price of diesel and Kerosene for Multi-day vessels and single-day vessels by 25 rupees per liter with effect from the 23rd of this month. The relevant circular has been issued by the Department of Fisheries.
As per circular No: DFAR/Fuel/2024/001 issued to normalize Fisheries Industry, 15 liters of kerosene per day for fishermen using Kerosene for a maximum of 25 days a month will be issued with a subsidiy of 25 rupees per liter. This price reduction is applicable only for the number of days engaged in fishing. 15 liters of Diesel per day for Multi-day and one-day (IMUL / IDAY) fishermen for a maximum of 25 days a month will be issued. The government has decided to reimburse 9375 rupees a month.
The Government has decided to provide this fuel subsidy of 25 rupees a liter to the owners of vessels that use Diesel as an allowance to normalize the fishing industry based on the kind of vessel, operational methods, operational area, and the number of days in operation. Accordingly, it was decided to reimburse 25 rupees per liter to the Multi-day and one day ( IMUL / IDAY) to the owners of the vessels that use Diesel and are Registered at the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and active in the industry, for their diesel purchases. The benefits to each kind of vessel will be decided as per the information provided through fr/24/1. However, the reimbursement amount for a single trip should not exceed the fuel tank capacity. The final decision to determine the maximum amount of diesel used by IMUL / IDAY vessels is vested in the Director of the fisheries Department. This program will be implemented for a period of six months and this benefit should be amended in all situations when the price of fuel price is amended by the Petroleum Corporation. Accordingly, the fuel subsidy should be calculated as 7.5% for a liter of diesel and 12.5% for a liter of Kerosene. The Minister has instructed the Director General and the officials of the Department of Fisheries to calculate the fuel subsidy and provide this benefit from the 23rd of this month as per circular No: 2024/08/26.
