Sea cucumber farms to be set up

by Mohammed NAALIR

Plans are afoot to begin sea cucumber farms for the first time in Sri Lanka. The project will commence from the Mannar district this year, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.

The Minister was addressing a fisheries community meeting in Kalutara. He said that Vietnam has been targeted as the market.

Moves are in place to set up three canned fish factories in Sri Lanka. After the opening of the proposed factories local demand for canned fish can be satisfied without depending on imports, Minister Senaratne said.

The proposed canned fish factories will be set up in Galle, Mundalama and Peliyagoda. Around 45,000 cans of fish will be manufactured here a day of the demand for around 100,000 cans of fish per day.