|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 13 January 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Business | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Joint plan to revive prawn industry by David Edirisinghe, President , Consortium for the Development of Aquaculture
This is the outcome of a mission by Neomal Perera, MP who worked his way to overcome the unemployment crisis and the declining economy in his district. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who listened patiently to the present status of the prawn industry at the Economic Policy Committee meeting on December 9 has decided to help the prawn farmers. The instructions were to help prawn farmers who are handicapped with production due to reasons beyond their control. This will done on a case by case basis leaving the wilful defaulters and helping others financially with the proven technological innovations to overcome low production. The Industry GDP has dropped to an area of 17.3% as per reports by Dr. Siriwardena, an experienced scientist in this field heading the NARA as DG and was shocking news to the premier and the Minister of Fisheries.
The Seylan Bank package granted to customers by the Chairman Wayamba EDC was the beginning of a new life for the industry on a disciplined farming system. Adopting a technological innovation to culture prawns with a low risk method, well supported by the CP group of India under the leadership of an experienced Philippine scientist and a team of graduates from our universities would be the way out for sustainability. The PM has called for a progress review meeting in two months and NAQDA chaired by Ariya Kannangara is working to set up a new office with all laboratory facilities in Chilaw town to handle the monitoring and apply regulations. MP Neomal Perera is expected to table at the next Parliament session the proposal of an environmental court and make the prawn farming area an Industrial zone in the Puttalam district. This is to protect the destruction to the environment from farmers who carry out farming disregarding regulation.
The Chairman EDC has granted funds to commence operations immediately understanding the gravity of the situation. Diversification of the present judicial system is important if the environment is to be protected as there are 52 varieties of Mangrove plants in the Puttalam district sheltering a brackish water lagoon system of 39800 hectares.The need is to restructure the destructed area of nearly 2000 hectares of mangrove during 1994 to 2000. The Dutch Canal restoration program should pay special attention to the replanting of the mangrove plantation with speedy growing varieties as the area is the first landing base for many varieties of seasonal migratory birds to Sri Lanka. The stocks are getting reduce every year due to shortage of shelter and hungry hunters who have no sense of civic consciousness. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
The long standing struggle of debt burden by authorised prawn farmers,
the pollution of the Dutch Canal will benefit with the setting up of an
Industrial Zone in the coastal belt of Puttlam to end the unresolved
issue.
On the issue of the unreasonable VAT on prawn feed the Minister of
Fisheries has requested a waver from the Minister of Finance taking
account of the high cost of production on pro biotic farming systems.
The Industrial Zone would be under the BPI chaired by the EDC chairman
Dr. Lalith Kotelawala with NAQDA actively participating.
