FAO to construct Finfish hatchery in Batticaloa

3 December 2015 02:51 am

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) last week signed an agreement for the construction of a Finfish hatchery in the Batticaloa district with funds from the European Union Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP).  
The Rs. 142 million contract for the construction of the hatchery in Tharmapuram was signed between the FAO and Finite Lanka (Pvt) Ltd on 27th November at the FAO Country Office in Colombo.
With the Sri Lanka government’s vision for the country to become a leader in South Asia in sustainable utilisation of aquatic resources for fisheries development, the ten year development plan of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development has given high priority for the development of the aquaculture sub-sector. 
Marking a new chapter in the long history of cooperation between the EU, the FAO and the Government of Sri Lanka in the fisheries sector, this project seeks to fulfill the national requirement for the development of marine finfish farming in the country. 
Speaking on the commencement of the project, Libuse Soukupova, Head of Development Cooperation of the European Union said, “The return of normalcy to the North and East has revealed large areas of potential sites for finfish farming which have become available with more individuals and firms showing interest in aquaculture. Our hope is that the hatchery will benefit coastal communities and lend to income generation and elevation of their living standard”. 
Finfish hatcheries are operative throughout South East Asia, producing a range of marine finfish including milk fish and several grouper species. The backbone of any aquaculture farming is the availability of required seeds. Sri Lanka does not possess adequate facilities to produce sufficient amount of finfish with the existing technology to meet the demand in the national and international markets.