The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, our nation has a 517,000 sq km Special Economic Zone at sea, 215,000 sq km of territorial waters, and continental shelf rights. We have 1,580 sq km of lagoons and estuaries, and 2,600 reservoirs. Yet in 2024, fisheries contributed only 0.9 per cent to GDP—0.8 per cent marine, 0.1 per cent inland. According to 2024 statistics, 320,470 people engage in the sector.

¶ 02 We need a new fisheries policy with a long-term ocean health vision, economic prosperity, secure livelihoods for coastal and inland communities, sustainable technologies, and globally competitive fisheries.

¶ 03 Key aims: - Ensure sustainable management of marine and inland fish stocks; promote national fish production; modernize via technology, data and innovation; enhance fisher social protection and livelihoods; strengthen maritime security to eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; increase export value and grow the blue economy; protect marine ecosystems—reefs, mangroves, coastal biodiversity. - Implement science-based stock assessments; regulate effort while enhancing yields sustainably; protect breeding seasons for tuna, sea cucumbers and squids; develop a policy framework to address bottom trawling and other critical issues. - Mandate 100 per cent VMS on multi-day boats and AIS across fleets; enforce anti-IUU measures; modernize vessels for fuel efficiency; deploy refrigeration and solar-assisted power. - Establish a National Fisheries Data Platform for integration: satellite and lunar data, daily catch logs, vessel positions, weather alerts, real-time fish aggregations, market price updates, insurance, licensing renewals, and digital services.

¶ 04 Strengthen inland aquaculture; reinforce the regulatory framework; expand social security and pensions for fishers; improve skills training; upgrade housing and infrastructure—ice plants, cold rooms, sanitation, auction halls, solar lighting; build a Sri Lanka seafood brand with quality and value addition; modernize domestic markets while protecting marine ecosystems; build climate-resilient infrastructure, early warning, and post-disaster support.

¶ 05 Reform fisheries co-operatives; seed the blue economy—biotech, marine pharmaceuticals, deep-sea mineral research, eco-tourism, mangrove carbon credits, funds and blended finance, public-private partnerships; introduce blue bonds, climate finance, and reinvest export earnings.

¶ 06 Small boats, multi-day, and stake-net sectors now face many hardships. The Government has failed to deliver promised fuel relief. The Government must fulfil its commitments. We will fully support a successful national fisheries policy.

¶ 07 Regarding the digital economy: with effective public–private partnerships, Sri Lanka can build a US$ 25–30 billion digital economy by 2030, creating hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs, improving governance, eradicating corruption, and boosting competitiveness.

¶ 08 Three thematic priorities: 1) World-class digital infrastructure: - Upgrade 4G and roll out 5G in all districts; incentivize FTTH deployment; use universal service funds for rural connectivity. - Establish data centres and cloud infrastructure (regional Tier 3/Tier 4 near metros); adopt cloud-first government; partner with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. - Build AI talent; introduce a national AI/data science curriculum from Grade 6.

¶ 09 Produce 100,000 IT graduates annually through universities and TVET; continuously re-skill workforce; establish IT investment zones in all 25 districts; provide tax concessions for export-oriented IT/BPM; fast-track tech visas.

¶ 10 2) Digital government and payments: - Single digital national ID for all citizens; enable digital signatures, online verification, mobile services. - Digitize public services end-to-end—revenue and driving licences, land registry, court filings, permits—targeting 100 per cent uptake to cut cost and corruption. - Enable inter-agency data sharing via government data exchange and secure access; real-time analytics for policymaking. - Promote cashless payments: ensure LankaQR acceptance across businesses, buses, trains and markets; provide adoption incentives to MSMEs; create a FinTech sandbox including Central Bank for eKYC, digital banking, blockchain payments; allow responsible crypto experimentation under strict regulation. - Expand mobile wallet ecosystems to rural areas with microcredit and insurance.

¶ 11 3) Innovation and exports: - National Startup Fund; state-backed VC with private co-investment; seed AI, FinTech, AgriTech, HealthTech. - Startup visas; simplified registration; results-driven tax holidays; strengthen university innovation systems with incubators; expand industry–university R&D grants. - Grow IT-BPM exports from US$ 1.8 billion to US$ 10 billion by 2030; focus on AI engineering, cybersecurity, cloud services, product engineering, KPOs, legal/med-tech engineering. - Include e-commerce, data flows and IP protection in trade agreements. - Digitally power traditional sectors: in agriculture—small irrigation, drone mapping, IoT sensors, digital marketplaces; in tourism—platforms, online bookings, AR/VR cultural experiences, smart signage, automated park visitor management. - In fisheries—GPS tracking, digital catch logs, online auctions, weather alerts.

¶ 12 Strengthen cybersecurity and trust: establish a National Cybersecurity Authority for real-time monitoring and public–private defence; implement the Personal Data Protection Act with GDPR-style standards; expand cyber-skills degrees and certifications.

¶ 13 Ensure digital literacy for all: community digital centres in every DS division; free courses in digital skills, coding, cyber safety; promote women in tech—entrepreneurs, freelancers, safe workplaces, flexible remote work laws. Update laws: modernize ICT Act, Electronic Transactions Act, IP laws; provide clear rules for digital signatures, digital contracts, cloud data residency, and online dispute resolution.

¶ 14 These proposals are on behalf of the SJB and the SJB Alliance. It is time to walk the talk. Thank you.