Source: Asian Tribune
Sri Lanka’s to commission a canned fish factory in early August this year at Galle, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister, Rajitha Senaratne had said.
Minster Senaratne had further noted that the factory will be able to produce 10,000 fish cans per day and will start its operations as a joint partnership with a private company and the Fisheries Corporation.
In mid 2009, construction work on a canned fish factory in Akmeemana aimed at providing 2000 direct and indirect employment opportunities to youth in the Galle district was commenced with the objective of saving foreign exchange spent on the import of canned fish and to supply high quality, hygienic canned fish to local consumers in the island nation.
The total investment on the project was USD 50 million or over Rs.5.4 billion and was a Board of Investment (BOI) approved entity financed by renowned New Zealand Company, Spirit Wind.
That time the New Zealand’s Sprint Wind agreed to supply 15% of the total production to the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation and was anticipated that the products will be distributed island wide through a local marketing company.
Sprit Wind Limited will invest Rs. 5 billion for the project. “We are targeting 1,500 direct jobs and nearly 4,000 indirect jobs through the canned fish project. CFC is expecting to commence the operations of the project in 2008,†said the Chairman of the CFC, Mr. W.A.J.E Fernando, to the Government Official Web Site.
At the commencement of the project, Ceylon Fisheries Corporation agreed to pump Rs. 400 million for the venture added with a 20-acre land for the project in Akmeemana, Galle. It was revealed by then Chairman of the CFC, Mr. W.A.J.E Fernando that an estimated profit of nearly USD 70 million or over Rs.7 billion per year through the venture is projected once it starts operations. And told reporters that plans are also been made to can 105 metric tons of tuna fish per day and nearly 10 per cent of the total production will be used for local consumption and the balance for the export market, especially in Europe. And further noted that waste fish parts produced by the factory will be utilized as animal food and the new venture will produce 90 tons of animal feed per day.
Earlier in 2009 when project commenced its construction then Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry statistics reveal an average of over Rs.4 billion is spent annually on importing canned fish to the country.