The head and the members of local canned fish manufacturers association thank President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Douglas Devananda,
Minister of Trade , Bandula Gunawardana and State Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Kanchana Wijesekera, and all others concerned in reinstating the duty on imported canned fish. “This will allow the local canned fish industry to gain maximum advantage of the country’s oceanic resource which will be a key economic driver as well as uplift the living standards of our fisherman as manufacturers will be able to pay premium prices for the supply of fish.You are also helping the local industry to develop and also save Sri Lanka’s much needed foreign exchange as we all know every container of imported canned fish also causes unemployment and also a loss to the economy, and unlike other industries canned fish manufacturers creates a chain reaction to multiple local industries as we purchase all raw materials locally.”
“We also thank the Minister of Trade for using Sathosa which is the main link between the medium income group consumer and the government. Our association according to the wish of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during this Covid-19 pandemic period provided canned fish at a reduced rate of Rs.200. If the local canned fish manufacturers association is supported and since we have a coastline of 1,340 km, we can be self-sufficient in canned fish and also start to export our canned fish. We also take this opportunity to thank all the institutions who helped us in this endeavor including the various institutions and Ministries such as the Fisheries Ministry, SLS, the Consumer Affairs Authority and Lanka Sathosa,” the statement added.
