Save our fishermen -JVP

(October 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) JVP parliamentarian Premasiri Manage coming up with a supplementary question to the Minister of Fisheries, alleged that 43 metric tons of fish have been bought from a foreign vessel.

“Since the beginning of this month, our fishermen had caught a large amount of fish. At present, the price of fish has dropped drastically. In this backdrop 43 metric tons of fish had been bought from a foreign vessel on the 17th of this month, said Manage.

Responding, Felix Perera acknowledged that the stock of fish was bought from a foreign vessel.

“If we get cheap fish from a foreign vessel, we buy it. We bought a kilo of tuna for 185 rupees. We buy a kilo of Yellow Finned Tuna from local fishermen for Rs. 1,100 rupees. We bought it at that price last week,” said Felix Perera, Minister of Fisheries.

Manage said the question was that the ministry did not want to buy fish from our fishermen. “It has come to a stage where their fish had to be buried. A kilo is between 50 to 60 rupees. So when fish is available at this price, why aren't they purchased from our fishermen. Fish is being bought from foreign vessels. That is the problem here. Aren't fish being stored in cold storage facilities in Modera? That is wasting public money,” the parliamentarian said.

-Sri Lanka Guardian