Mr. Douglas Devananda stated that he had brought up all of the concerns with the fisheries community including the shortage of fuel for fishermen and the rise in fishing equipment costs, to Honorable President Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, and that the president would address them expeditiously.
He said this on 28.11.2023 when he participated as the chief guest at the launch of the marine software (app) by the Dialog Institute held at Dikkowita fishery harbour.
At the event, the Minister expressed gratitude to Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe for helping to bring the nation out of its current crisis, which had been brought on by the COVID pandemic and previous years' economic setbacks. The current administration is currently striving to elevate the nation's fishing industry to an international standard, the Minister said.
Expressing his views on the newly introduced app, he claimed that the maritime software (app) developed by Dialog Institute would be of tremendous assistance to fishermen in enabling them to perform their jobs safely by providing them with information on the weather and sea conditions around the clock.
The Minister further said that he requested the Dialog representatives, who had come to brief them about this software, create a program that would alert fishermen in advance to the locations of fish resources in the sea. The agency had agreed to take note of this request and create a program as soon as possible.
The Minister stated that the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Department of Meteorology, the Disaster Management Center, and the Dialog Institute would collaborate to ensure the success of this task. He also mentioned that his ministry would give the Dialog Institute all the support it needs.The officials including Director (Operations) Kalyani Hewapathirana, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Managing Director of Dialog Institute (Technology) Mr. Tharusha Wanigasekara, Chairman of Ceylon Fishery Corporation, Mr. Nilanka Jayawardena, Managing Director of Ceylon Fishery Harbour Corporation Mr. Vadivel Sathyananda and General Manager, Mr. Pranasanna Mudalige participated in the event.
