The American Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mrs. Julie Chang met the Minister of Fisheries, Mr. Douglas Devananda at the Ministry of Fisheries office on 29.11.2023.
In this meeting, a lengthy discussion was held for getting the support from the American government for the development of the fisheries industry in Sri Lanka.
The ambassador was briefed by the minister of fisheries on the significance of US government support for the growth of the aquaculture sector, which includes the sea leech industry, and for the provision of essential infrastructure to the fishing community. He went on to emphasize how important it is to have assistance, especially from nations where the fishing sector is well-established, in order to elevate Sri Lanka's fishing sector to a global scale. He continued by saying that the World Food Organization was assisting in the drafting of a new fisheries bill that would amend current laws pertaining to the fishing industry and that all necessary steps were being taken to ensure that the bill was approved by the parliament as soon as possible.
Considering the views expressed by the minister, the US ambassador to Sri Lanka made a statement pledging that the US would offer all the financial and technical assistance necessary to help Sri Lanka's fishing sector grow.
A group of officials including Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Mrs. Indu Ratnayake, participated in this event.
