The Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, in the 2025 Budget, I wish to present my views on the Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic Resources and Marine Resources. Trincomalee District, which I represent, has a 141 km coastline; the Eastern Province has 431 km. There are 23,975 fishing families in Trincomalee and 67,355 in the Eastern Province. For this Ministry, Rs. 6,213 million recurrent and Rs. 5,227 million capital — total Rs. 11,440 million — have been allocated, Rs. 428 million more than last year. However, capital is reduced by Rs. 2,152 million, which is not conducive to growth. The Ministry’s total allocation is only 0.3 percent of the Budget, capital 0.12 percent — very concerning. Greater attention is needed.

¶ 02 Major current issues: Indian trawlers crossing the boundary; illegal dynamiting; use of small-mesh drift nets; and most seriously, purse seine fishing. It over-exploits resources; one purse seine can catch fish that 100 poor fishers would catch. Despite limited conditions set by Government, purse seiners ignore and operate nearshore, catching even juvenile fish, disrupting the marine food chain and harming the environment. The Government should ban purse seining entirely. Since the Coast Guard alone cannot stop it, form joint monitoring teams including fishermen.

¶ 03 Inland fishers also face issues. In Kuchchaveli DS, in Kumburupitty East GN, when the Raigam salt project was set up in 2009, 456 acres for salt pans and 26 acres for the factory — total 482 acres — were allocated. Now the company has encroached 1,806 acres, depriving 240 inland fisher families of livelihoods. Promised jobs, landing sites and annual Rs. 1 million to associations were not provided. The Government must intervene to protect inland fishers’ interests.

¶ 04 Fishermen’s co-operative societies under Provincial Councils have long safeguarded fishers’ welfare. Replace the newly introduced rural fisheries organizations with strengthening co-ops, and channel development activities through them.

¶ 05 Provide training on modern fish handling, preservation, and establish Government ice plants to ensure quality and fair prices; it will also generate revenue.

¶ 06 No practical allocations to increase value addition are visible. The Oluvil fishery harbour has remained incomplete for years; expedite and open it to the public.

¶ 07 Most fishers in Trincomalee use small boats for day trips; they lack technology and capital for multiday operations, and thus have low living standards. Provide concessional credit for small craft and multiday boats, and establish multiday fishing centres in Sampur, Salli, Kinniya mouth and Navalady, with training. This will raise productivity and reduce missing-at-sea incidents.

¶ 08 The living standards of Trincomalee fishers are low; create a dedicated housing scheme with Government funding. Trincomalee has 437 inland water bodies covering 64,967 acres suitable for aquaculture; provide free fingerlings and support to boost inland fish production. By these measures, fish production in the East can be multiplied, strengthening the economy. Thank you.