The vessel, worth 140 million, which has to be sent to state of Mauritius, is inspected
In order to encourage the export of fishing vessels manufactured in this country to the foreign market and to investigate the problems of the industry, Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Rathna Gamage engaged in a special inspection tour of the 'Northwest Marine Lanka Pvt Ltd' boat manufacturing factory located in the Dikowita harbour premises on the 26th of January.
Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer and Member of Parliament Stephanie Fernando were also present on this occasion.
The Deputy Minister inspected several vessels being manufactured for export to foreign countries. Specially, he drew special attention to the modern fishing vessel worth Rs. 140 million manufactured entirely in Sri Lanka, which is set to be handed over to the State of Mauritius in the near future. He praised the manufacturing process, which is being carried out using advanced technology as a pioneer in the production of fiberglass boats.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister Rathna Gamage said:
"Encouraging such local manufacturing industries, which contribute to bringing in much-needed foreign exchange (dollars) to the country, is a priority of our government. We promise to provide all possible help and support from the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources to develop this industry."
The management of the manufacturing company pointed out that certain administrative delays through government institutions are causing some losses and disruptions in business activities. Responding to this, the Deputy Minister stated that he will discuss with all relevant institutions and make the necessary interventions to make the existing procedures efficient and to avoid unnecessary delays and expedite the work.
The management and officers of the North West Marine Lanka Company participated in this event.
