SL seeks Chinese help to boost canned fish production
View(s):Sri Lanka is once again luring Chinese investment into a mega canned fish factory in Galle in addition to three currently operating factories in Peliyagoda, Mundalama and Galle in a bid to reduce the Rs.5.2 billion import bill for canned fish annually, a senior minister said.
Minister of Fisheries Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told the Business Times that the government has decided to manufacture at least two thirds of its canned fish requirements locally very soon.
He revealed that a leading Chinese investor has stepped in to making a huge investment to improve the fisheries industry.
Canned fish is mostly imported while Sri Lanka’s exports about US$ 190 million of mainly shrimp, tuna and other fish, according to Minister Senaratne.
Newly established fish canning factories in Galle and Puttalam were also importing fish from China as the local catch was not sufficient for the two factories’ requirement, Dr. Senaratne said.
He said that recent accusations levelled against a fish canning factory, that it was importing its entire fish requirement from China, were totally unjustified.
It was impossible to procure the total requirement of fish from the country, therefore factory owners were compelled to import mackerel from China to meet their requirements, he explained.
Every fish variety is not suitable to produce sardines. Linna and mackerel varieties are used for this purpose.
Linna is used in Sri Lanka, but fishermen have been asked to catch limited quantities of Linna for local consumption and canned fish production as this variety of fish must protected from extinction, he added.
Countries which produce sardine import Linna fish from other countries where excessive Linna fish is found, he disclosed.
Dr. Senaratne said all measures had been taken to manufacture the country’s entire requirement of canned fish by the end of 2016.
The country should increase value added fish exports, such as canned fish while curbing imports, he said adding that the import duty on canned fish has been increased to Rs. 75 recently to achieve this objective.
He disclosed that Sri Lankans consume nearly 120,000 salmon tins per day and large amounts of money are spent on the import of canned fish every year.
To meet the local demand and to explore the export market these three canned fish plants were set up with production capacity of nearly 50,000 salmon tins per day.
The Ceyfish Fish Canning Factory at the Galle Fisheries Harbour premises is the first state cannery in Sri Lanka and established as a joint venture between the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation and Happy Cook Lanka Food (Pvt.) Ltd.
Furthermore a fish preservation centre will be set up by Japanese multinational trade giant, Chairman of Kiyomura Corporation Kiyoshi Kimura.
The N. H. Fisheries (Pvt) Ltd owned Mundalama plant in Puttalam produces 10,000 salmon tins per a shift and its products are available in the market under the brand name “Sea queen”.
The third canned fish factory of Sri Lanka in Peliyagoda has a capacity to produce 48,000 cans of fish a day and it was set up at a cost of Rs.170 million by the Tess Group.
Minister Senaratne also mentioned that they are going to stop importing Maldive fish from other countries and that they are planning to produce Maldive fish too in Sri Lanka.
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