( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - The fuel subsidy policy under Decision 48 of the Prime Minister has empowered fishermen to venture out to sea and maintain their livelihoods.
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| The fishing boat docked at port after several days of fishing at sea. |
These days, the seaports of Tinh Ky, Tinh Hoa (Quang Ngai City), and Sa Huynh (Duc Pho Town) are bustling with the buying and selling of fish and the loading of fuel and raw materials onto ships to continue their fishing trips. After selling his catch, fisherman Le Tuan Tin (30 years old) from Nghia An commune (Quang Ngai City) hurried to the Provincial Fisheries Department to register his fishing activities in order to complete the procedures for fuel subsidies under Decision 48 of the Prime Minister . Fisherman Tin shared that his ship regularly fishes in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands area. Since Tet (Lunar New Year), his ship has made two fishing trips. Thanks to calm weather and smooth seas, both trips brought back full catches. However, with the current high prices of raw materials and fuel, his ship is not making much profit. Tin calculated that the last two fishing trips brought in nearly 800 million VND, but with a 400CV vessel that spends an average of 18-20 days at sea, each trip costs around 200-250 million VND in raw materials and fuel, with fuel alone accounting for over 125 million VND. Thanks to the fuel subsidy policy under Decision 48, his boat can confidently continue fishing at sea.
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| Fishermen are processing applications for fuel subsidies at the Provincial Fisheries Department. |
After a 25-day fishing trip in the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa fishing grounds, Nguyen Thanh Binh, the owner of the fishing vessel QNg 96786TS from Dong An Vinh village (Ly Son), returned with a face still tanned by the sun and wind. He was busy completing the procedures to receive fuel subsidies to continue his fishing expeditions. Fisherman Binh explained that after each trip, he would go to the authorities to record the fishing logbook, rather than accumulating trips. This is because each trip has a different fishing route. Although his vessel is equipped with a vessel tracking device, he still has to send complete information about the vessel's coordinates to the authorities through the centralized vessel monitoring system. Binh explained that for a large vessel to fish efficiently, in addition to fishing experience, the owner must continuously purchase modern equipment to support fishing operations and ensure communication with the monitoring authorities. This is the basis for completing the procedures to receive fuel subsidies.
According to fisherman Binh, since the beginning of the year, his boat has made two fishing trips in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands area, earning over 1.2 billion VND. However, "big boats, big waves," each trip costs him between 350 and 400 million VND. The remaining money is divided among his 14 crew members and used for boat repairs, leaving him with very little. Therefore, the government's fuel subsidy policy is essential for his boat to continue venturing out to sea.
For fisherman Nguyen Tan Nhut in Sa Huynh ward, Pho Thanh commune (Duc Pho town), the fuel subsidy policy has helped him maintain his fishing profession and avoid violating the sovereignty of neighboring countries. For many years, his boats have not violated the Law on Marine Fisheries.
According to Nguyen Van Muoi, head of the Provincial Fisheries Department, the support policy under Prime Minister's Decision 48 is very practical in helping fishermen stay at sea. The Department receives applications for support and compiles them for submission to the Provincial Appraisal Council for review and approval, before presenting them to the Provincial People's Committee for a decision on providing support to fishermen.
The province currently has approximately 4,240 fishing vessels operating throughout the country's waters. Given the ever-increasing prices of raw materials and fuel, and the dwindling fish stocks in fishing grounds, the fuel subsidy policy under Prime Minister's Decision 48 has greatly contributed to fishermen's peace of mind while working at sea, helping to protect the sacred sovereignty of the nation's maritime territories.
Text and photos: TRUONG AN
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