Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Rathna Gamage, undertook an inspection tour of the Seeduwa area on 01st of December to personally inspect the damage caused to several major fish processing factories in Sri Lanka due to the recent floods.
During the inspection tour, the Deputy Minister observed that leading export centers including New Madu Nadee International and Blue Line Ocean Pvt.Ltd were submerged in water up to five feet high. These factories are major centers for supplying value-added fish products to the European Union and earning a large amount of foreign exchange for the country.
Specially, the business owners pointed out that essential infrastructure facilities, including cool rooms, have been severely damaged and there is an urgent need to immediately restore power supply to prevent further losses.
Responding immediately, Deputy Minister Gamage contacted the Gampaha District Secretary and senior officials of the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) while staying in the premises. Emphasizing the national importance of these export industries, he requested that priority should be given to restoring electricity and other essential services to these factories.
"The fisheries export sector is a strong pillar of our country's productive economy. It earns the country much-needed foreign exchange and secures the livelihood of thousands of people, including our multi-day fishing vessels," the Deputy Minister said. "The government is fully committed to providing all necessary support to these businesses and about fifteen other affected export factories to resume operations as soon as possible. If we lose major markets like the European Union, it will affect the sustainability of the entire fishing industry, so we are accelerating this recovery process."
Reaffirming that the government's policy is to build a strong productive economy where the benefits are shared fairly among all, he assured that all possible assistance will be provided to the affected entrepreneurs to rebuild and help them to continue their contribution to the national economy.
