Efforts to develop freshwater fishery

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry will initiate programs to develop freshwater fisheries to contribute in the "fight against malnutrition in children in Sri Lanka."

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said, they plan to increase the freshwater fish harvest by 10 percent in keeping with the Government's envisioned development efforts to achieve an economic growth of 10 percent fast.

Dr. Senaratne said, 14 percent of the country's children are suffering from protein-energy malnutrition.

"It is unfortunate that our children should suffer from protein shortage when there is so much of fish around us in the sea and in our rivers and canals," Dr. Senaratne said and added that he expects as a doctor to contribute to eliminate child malnutrition in Sri Lanka by ensuring more fish in their diet. He said there are about 26,000 hectares of inland water sources and fish in them contain enough protein for children to avoid malnutrition. .

This could be achieved by enhancing freshwater fish produce from current 46,500 metric tonnes to 120,000 metric tonnes by 2013, he pointed out.

"We have set out a target of 64,000 metric tonnes to be achieved in keeping with the Government's accelerated development efforts that seek to arrive at an economic growth of 10 per cent in the next five years," he said.

The fisheries sector is expected to play a major role in the process as it has to enhance its contribution to the GDP from fisheries from 10 percent to 15 percent, the Minister said. This calls for a 50 percent increase in fish production both from sea and freshwater fisheries, he explained.