Norway to support Lanka's fisheries industry

The Sri Lanka-Norway Business Matchmaking Program (BMMP) delegation from the Sri Lankan Fishery and Aquaculture industry who visited the International Aqua-Nor Exhibition in Trondheim, Norway recently, met the Norwegian Ambassador Grete Lochen.

Delegates with Ambassador Grete Løchen, Prema Cooray and Senior Advisor, Norwegian Embassy, Vijayanathan Loganathan.

Prema Cooray of the CCC and Senior Adviser of the Norwegian Embassy, Vijayanathan Loganathan were present.

This is the first time a delegation from Sri Lanka visited this exhibition which is considered as one of the leading international events for aquaculture.

The delegation comprised Roshan Fernando (Tropic Frozen Foods), Anura Paranagama (Aqua 'n Green), Dr Harsha Navaratne (Sevalanka Foundation), Irfan Thassim (Oceanpick), Channa Weeratunga (Global Sea Foods) and the Project director of BMMP, Gerry Suraweera.

The Sri Lankan delegates thanked the Ambassador for the support provided to them through funding from NORAD which has supported the fishery industry for more than two decades. Delegates also related their experiences and discussed the transfer of technology from Norwegian Aquaculture giants and fish processing companies.

The ambassador said that the Embassy would give its fullest cooperation with regard to the transfer of technology. At the exhibition a meeting was organised for the delegates to present their companies and to interact with interested business partners.

The delegates said that this visit gave them exposure to the latest aquaculture technologies, related equipment and fish processing techniques in the world and are keen to form a consortium to start a pilot project in Sri Lanka with the latest technology. They said that if a start is not made now it will be a great loss of opportunity as the wild fish catch is diminishing all over the world.