A shortage of ice supply in Labasa, Fiji, has forced some fishermen to fork out $200 for an hour’s trip out of town to buy ice for their fishing trips.
The frustrated fishermen have blamed middlemen for the shortage.
Fisherman Ashok Kumar said for the past two weeks they had to travel to Wainikoro in search of ice.
“There is a real shortage and we hope something is done by Government to address it because we can’t afford to hire carriers to Wainikoro because it is expensive,” he said.
“We do know that a lot of middlemen have been buying ice for their business as they buy fish in bulk but that is not fair.
“The fishermen should be considered first and I hope the Ministry of Fisheries looks into this.”
Another fisherman of Udu Point described the situation as disappointing.
Ram Raju said it was useless taking fishing trips if there was no ice to keep the fish while out at sea.
In a statement, the Ministry of Fisheries denied the shortage of ice in Labasa, saying it was a high demand for ice instead.
“There is no shortage of ice supply from the Labasa Fisheries office. It is the high demand for ice from the public that is over the supply.”
However, it admitted that the priority of setting up ice plants was for fishermen.
2014, Fiji Times Limited