Holders of the C2 or deep-sea fishing licence were reminded to be grateful for the numerous benefits they enjoy, despite not being able to purchase diesel at RM1.25 per litre since June 1, said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar.

He said this included subsidised diesel for RM1.80 per litre from petrol stations as well as additional incentives.

"For example, they receive an incentive of 20 sen per kilogramme of fish they catch... if they bring back 40 tonnes of fish it totals to RM8,000 in incentives," he told reporters after launching the state-level agriculture corps at Pantai Remis Jeram, Kuala Selangor today.

NONE He said the government also provided special fish landing sites for them which cost between RM20 million and RM100 million.

"We want to ensure that Malaysians are able to enjoy quality fish caught in local waters, and that it is not all sold to foreigners at sea," Noh said.

He added that deep-sea fishermen received between 20,000 and 25,000 litres of subsidised diesel per month, compared to regular fishermen who only received 3,000 litres per month at the price of RM1.25 per litre and their incentive is 10 sen per kilogramme.

Noh was commenting on talk that some operators of C2 trawlers planned to go on a nationwide strike on June 11 should the government not reconsider the disconinuation of the diesel super subsidy for them.

C2 licence holders are those who are allowed to fish up to 30 nautical miles off the coast while B and C holders are fishermen only permitted to fish within 20 nautical miles from the coast. Only C2 trawlers operators are affected by the ruling on the subsidy cut.

Regarding the agriculture corps, Noh said the association launched in April expects to increase its nationwide membership to 10,000 people this year.

- Bernama

'C2 trawler operators still enjoy diesel subsidy'