Muscat – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) has announced that fishermen who wish to relocate to the fishermen’s village in Masirah, South Sharqiyah, can register for the same.

A statement issued by MAFWR said, ‘The initiative aims to provide housing and basic services to support fishermen and stimulate commercial activities. The ministry urges fishermen who wish to live in the village to register their names to benefit from the services that will be provided there.’

MAFWR has set certain conditions to be eligible for the initiative, including that fishermen should be citizens, engaged in the profession full-time, not committed any violations in the past two years, and be registered with the Public Authority for Social Insurance. ‘The fisherman must be from outside Masirah and have a lease contract for a fishing boat,’ it added.

The ministry confirmed that all services are available in the village, including a mosque, fuel station, ice-making unit, fish market and a pier. ‘The ministry has provided five housing units targeting 50 fishermen and registration is open until the desired goal is achieved.’

MAFWR started construction of the fishermen’s village in Masirah on an area of 4,537sqm in September 2020. Besides helping jobseekers find work, the initiative aims to help the fishery sector contribute more to the national economy.