Ministry of Industry and Commerce is inviting top Chinese canned fish manufactures to set up factories in Sri Lanka.
“We invite a canned fish supplier delegation from China to Sri Lanka for discussions,” said the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen addressing the Second Secretary of Chinese Embassy in Colombo Ran Xiong.
Canned fish is a heavy use item by local consumers and an essential item in the management of day to day cost of living. 60 Lankan companies annually import 40 million Kilos (Kgs) of canned fish for the local market.
Since May 2018 no canned fish consignments from China have been received by Sri Lanka. It has been widely reported in media that worms were detected by Lankan authorities in some imported canned fish tins to Sri Lanka and consignments were held back at customs -and some even ordered to be re-exported.
As a result, since February Lankan authorities have been detecting unfit canned fish destined for local markets landing in local ports. Both SLSI and the Ministry of Food Control Department under Heath Ministry decided that 31 canned fish consignments imported from Chinese suppliers were unfit to be released to local markets due to the presence of more than 3 parasites in them.
Sri Lanka has been importing fish from China for the past 8 years. According to the Department of Commerce under Minister Bathiudeen, Sri Lanka’s US $2 million canned fish imports (2013) from China steadily increased over the recent years–to $ 4.85 in 2014, US $ 9.65 in 2015 and in 2016, surged by eight-fold to a massive US$ 16.85 million.
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