By Karen Hapuarachchi
[caption id="attachment_114477" align="alignright" width="300"]
State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish and Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbour Development, Multi-day Fishing Activities, and Fish Exports Kanchana Wijesekera [/caption]
Having being given a yellowfin tuna fish quota of 5,600 tonnes for the year 2021 by the European Union, the State Ministry of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish and Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbour Development, Multi-day Fishing Activities, and Fish Exports is planning to export about 90% of that quota to European markets this year.
Speaking to The Morning, subject State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera stated that fish exports usually do not have an assigned annual target. However, the industry is planning to achieve the aforementioned target this year.
The State Minister highlighted that Sri Lanka’s main fish export market is Europe.
“Due to the global pandemic of Covid-19, Europe has been under lockdown for most of last year. This resulted in the demand for Sri Lankan fish exports decreasing from the foreign consumer base and European restaurants in 2020,” he added.
In addition to this, other effects of the global pandemic of Covid-19 on the Sri Lankan fish export industry included a decrease in production and increase in trade costs in relation to airport restrictions which resulted in a decrease in export value as well.
Wijesekera explained that due to the first and second clusters of the global pandemic, Covid-19, in Sri Lanka, especially with regard to the Peliyagoda cluster that occurred last year, most of the fishermen and their associates were quarantined. Thereby, the harvest that was arriving from the vessels that were out at sea could not be collected due to the quarantine. Also, the decrease in demand of Sri Lankan seafood and fish exports influenced fishermen to be reluctant to go back into the ocean. Secondly, the airport restrictions that were initiated because of the pandemic influenced a rise in trade costs for seafood and fish exports in the country, leading to a decrease in export revenue with regard to increased costs.
Wijesekera mentioned that the Ministry is currently having negotiations with SriLankan Airlines to lower their trade cost in order to resolve this issue.
Furthermore, the local market was reported to have an estimate of 40% decrease in demand last year. However, State Minister Wijesekera highlighted that the demand in the local market stabilised to the point that was present in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
In addition to this, there was also a sharp decrease in foreign imports of dry fish, canned fish, and food fish last year (2020) compared to 2019.
Commenting on production targets and foreign imports, State Minister Wijesekera said: “We have made plans for productions for about 450,000 metric tonnes per year which is coming from the ocean resources. We import about 90,000 metric tonnes annually and we also import canned fish and dry fish for another 70,000. So our requirement is about 650,000 metric tonnes. Thus, we have identified the substitutes for imports. Basically, the 90,000 dry fish and food fish that are being imported, we have identified to substitute that from the inland fisheries sections of dry fish and also food fish.”
He added: “The canning requirement is about 250,000 cans per day, and our capacity that we were going at in the local market was 30,000 worth of local production. However, we have increased that to about 200,000 last month in canning from our requirement. Our target is to achieve the 250,000 that we have in the local market through local production.” Moreover, the State Minister also mentioned an investment in swan farming that is going to be involved in the export production targets.
Additionally, Wijesekera highlighted the increased taxes on imports and the tax rate for local producers with regard to the five-year tax rate for the fisheries sector that the Government recently announced. This was followed by the Ministry’s aim to replace 70% of foreign imports by local production even though there are some foreign fish imports that the local producers are unable to replace. Moreover, the Minister noted that Mazda and other companies are working together on introducing new technology and hygienic methods. Furthermore, the technology that is going to be introduced would involve solar powered dryers which would be given to community-based associations along with 100 units of storage facilities and cool room facilities to store stocks.
PHOTO ©️ CEYLON FISHERIES CORPORATION
State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish and Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbour Development, Multi-day Fishing Activities, and Fish Exports Kanchana Wijesekera [/caption]
Having being given a yellowfin tuna fish quota of 5,600 tonnes for the year 2021 by the European Union, the State Ministry of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish and Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbour Development, Multi-day Fishing Activities, and Fish Exports is planning to export about 90% of that quota to European markets this year.
Speaking to The Morning, subject State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera stated that fish exports usually do not have an assigned annual target. However, the industry is planning to achieve the aforementioned target this year.
The State Minister highlighted that Sri Lanka’s main fish export market is Europe.
“Due to the global pandemic of Covid-19, Europe has been under lockdown for most of last year. This resulted in the demand for Sri Lankan fish exports decreasing from the foreign consumer base and European restaurants in 2020,” he added.
In addition to this, other effects of the global pandemic of Covid-19 on the Sri Lankan fish export industry included a decrease in production and increase in trade costs in relation to airport restrictions which resulted in a decrease in export value as well.
Wijesekera explained that due to the first and second clusters of the global pandemic, Covid-19, in Sri Lanka, especially with regard to the Peliyagoda cluster that occurred last year, most of the fishermen and their associates were quarantined. Thereby, the harvest that was arriving from the vessels that were out at sea could not be collected due to the quarantine. Also, the decrease in demand of Sri Lankan seafood and fish exports influenced fishermen to be reluctant to go back into the ocean. Secondly, the airport restrictions that were initiated because of the pandemic influenced a rise in trade costs for seafood and fish exports in the country, leading to a decrease in export revenue with regard to increased costs.
Wijesekera mentioned that the Ministry is currently having negotiations with SriLankan Airlines to lower their trade cost in order to resolve this issue.
Furthermore, the local market was reported to have an estimate of 40% decrease in demand last year. However, State Minister Wijesekera highlighted that the demand in the local market stabilised to the point that was present in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
In addition to this, there was also a sharp decrease in foreign imports of dry fish, canned fish, and food fish last year (2020) compared to 2019.
Commenting on production targets and foreign imports, State Minister Wijesekera said: “We have made plans for productions for about 450,000 metric tonnes per year which is coming from the ocean resources. We import about 90,000 metric tonnes annually and we also import canned fish and dry fish for another 70,000. So our requirement is about 650,000 metric tonnes. Thus, we have identified the substitutes for imports. Basically, the 90,000 dry fish and food fish that are being imported, we have identified to substitute that from the inland fisheries sections of dry fish and also food fish.”
He added: “The canning requirement is about 250,000 cans per day, and our capacity that we were going at in the local market was 30,000 worth of local production. However, we have increased that to about 200,000 last month in canning from our requirement. Our target is to achieve the 250,000 that we have in the local market through local production.” Moreover, the State Minister also mentioned an investment in swan farming that is going to be involved in the export production targets.
Additionally, Wijesekera highlighted the increased taxes on imports and the tax rate for local producers with regard to the five-year tax rate for the fisheries sector that the Government recently announced. This was followed by the Ministry’s aim to replace 70% of foreign imports by local production even though there are some foreign fish imports that the local producers are unable to replace. Moreover, the Minister noted that Mazda and other companies are working together on introducing new technology and hygienic methods. Furthermore, the technology that is going to be introduced would involve solar powered dryers which would be given to community-based associations along with 100 units of storage facilities and cool room facilities to store stocks.
PHOTO ©️ CEYLON FISHERIES CORPORATION