The government had fulfilled its promise to provide duty-free fuel for Maltese fishermen, said Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Francis Agius at the signing of an agreement between the government and the two Maltese fishing cooperatives.

Dr Agius said that the agreement takes over from a previous one that was signed in May 2000, which had fulfilled an election promise.

By virtue of this agreement, he said, there will be more transparency and accountability in the provision of duty-free fuel. It was also agreed that consumption will be monitored through satellite surveillance.

Dr Agius explained that, from now on, Maltese and Gozitan fishermen will benefit from new allocation charges, that will be

calculated according to catches and the fish sold at the wholesale market (pixkerija).

The allocation will be according to a formula based on the amount of fish caught and sold, and the type of fishing method used.

MFB-registered vessels, that is vessels registered as part-time fishing boats, that are registered with one of the two cooperatives and sell their catches through the wholesale market, will also be allocated duty-free fuel.

Dr Agius said that the commitment of the government towards fishermen can be clearly seen through a number of projects, such as the Lm250,000 (EUR582,343) centre for the washing of fish baskets and the EUR2million hard-standing facility at Marsaxlokk.