KUWAIT: Responding to recent rumors about fishermen's activities, Kuwait Fishermen Union issued a statement to refute those allegations, and stressing its keenness on the quality and price of local products. The union also attributed soaring fish prices to the challenges fishermen face as well as the high demand for local fish, in addition to the recent local fishing and shrimping bans while reducing fisheries by 50 percent. The statement also stressed that local fish is cheaper than imported and frozen ones and that their taste and freshness are incomparable. The statement added that if the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) changes the fish auction timing to be held after Isha prayers instead of after Fajr prayers, prices would drop by 30 percent.

In other news, Kuwaiti Farmers Union's Chairman Abdullah Al-Dammak said the problem of power outages in Abdali and Wafra farms will be resolved soon, adding that the union recently met Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) assistant undersecretary for power grids affairs Mutlaq Nayef Al-Otaibi, who promised to resolve the problem by the beginning of the summer. Dammak added that Otaibi promised to deploy 100 MEW engineers and technicians to handle the problems mainly resulting from tall trees that intermingle with power towers. He also noted that one of the problems facing technicians is the absence of farm owners on their farms except on weekends, since farm workers do not usually allow them in during other times.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi