Sri Lanka will import sailfish (thalapath) from Singapore, State Minister for Fisheries Piyal Nishantha De Silva said.
“The local fisherman’s catch from the seas around Sri Lanka does not meet even 5 percent of our domestic requirement for thalapath,” De Silva told reporters on Tuesday.
“In such a situation, the Fisheries Corporation will import sailfish (thalapath) and other fish varieties such as sprats, dried fish (karawala), marlin (koppara) as required, to meet local demand.”
De Silva said the aim was to supply good quality fish at a good price to consumers without negatively impacting local fisherman.
“We will be importing fish from Singapore, through the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation,” De Silva said. “This is necessary to meet the consumption needs, especially from hospitals.”
Sri Lankans need state permission to import some foods. The country has a heavy economic nationalist ideology, partly driven by monetary instability (to save foreign exchange).