The Hon. Rathna Gamage - Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, in response to Question 10 (No. 1936/2026) asked by Hon. Ajith Gihan regarding the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation:

¶ 02 (a) (i) Yes. Under Act No. 49 of 1957, the Corporation was established inter alia to meet the protein needs of Sri Lankan consumers by selling quality fish at affordable prices via a retail network, and by operating cold stores and contributing to ice production. (ii) Yes. Since 2010 the Corporation has faced a capital crisis leading to non-payment of statutory dues to employees, delays to suppliers, and defaults to banks, impairing services to fishers and consumers. (b) (i) Yes. Details of financial irregularities in 2024–2025 and actions taken are provided in the annex. Actions include arrests and bail by the CIABOC for irregularities totalling about Rs. 20 million; disciplinary inquiries resulting in dismissals; further inquiries and charge sheets issued. Ten key irregularities are under investigation. (ii) The Corporation owns nine ice plants: Pesalai, Gurunagar, Hambantota, Galle, Anuradhapura, Minneriya, Puttalam-Palavi, an ice plant under the Ratnapura Region, and Kaladi Bridge area, Batticaloa. (iii) Of these, about five are operational. Only the Anuradhapura plant is directly operated by the Corporation; four plants were leased to external parties between 2016–2023; four others lack machinery and only buildings remain. (iv) Yes. For 2026, an institutional action plan targets Rs. 6,400 million in revenue (vs. Rs. 5,508 million in 2025) under a full-time management team with Ministry oversight. Six new refrigerated trucks have been received under Japanese assistance; procurement is underway to refurbish the HQ ultra-cold store. Properties without title documents but under private use are being reclaimed; several outlets in Colombo have been legally recovered. Of about Rs. 350 million long-outstanding receivables, Rs. 66 million was collected in Q1 2026; efforts continue to reduce the Rs. 600 million receivable balance; new buyers and agreements are being secured to expand sales. The target is to increase net profit from Rs. 39 million in 2025 to Rs. 190 million in 2026. (c) Not applicable.