The session will be held at the Colombo Hilton with the participation of over 70 Fisheries Ministers and fisheries policy makers from 18 countries, including major fish producing nations, such as, Thailand, China and India.Sri Lanka hosts the meeting for the first time.
The Committee on Fisheries of the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) approved Sri Lanka as the venue to hold the event at the request of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Rajitha Senaratne.
According to a report in Daily News Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry Secretary Dr Damitha De Soyza said the meeting is held at a time the country is exploring technical cooperation and investment possibilities with key aquaculture nations to increase aquaculture production to ensure food security, nutrition and health of the nation in keeping with the Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma vision for the future.
"Inland fisheries and aquaculture development has been identified as a key area of fisheries development under the country's national plan for fisheries development which seeks to increase the domestic fish production by 80 percent in the next five years to meet the growth in demand for fish in the domestic sphere," Secretary Soyza said.
Meanwhile, Dr Senaratne said there is no need for the country to suffer from malnutrition when there is 200 000 hectares of inland waters to breed fish to provide protein requirement.
Ministerial Meeting Will Help Fishermen
SRI LANKA - Special benefits to fisherfolk in the North and East of Sri Lanka could emerge from the 30th session of the Asian Regional Ministerial Meeting to be held at the end of the month.
