DAR ES SALAAM, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said on Monday plans are afoot to procure 320 new modern fishing boats for small and middle-scale fishermen in a move aimed at transforming the fisheries industry.

       Mashimba Ndaki, the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, told parliament in the capital Dodoma that the procurement of the fishing boats is part of the government's intention to transform the fisheries sector and enable it to contribute to the national economic growth.

       He said the boats to be used for deep-sea fishing will be procured during the 2022/2023 financial year that starts on July 1, 2022, and runs to June 30, 2023.

       He told the House that the government has also put in place strategies aimed at facilitating fishermen to construct small-scale fish processing plants to enable them to boost their income.

       Ndaki made the remarks when he responded to Joseph Mkunda, a Member of Parliament for Lake Victoria's Ukerewe Island constituency, who had wanted to know measures the government was taking to improve the welfare of fishermen in the country.