Freshwater Fish Farming and more in Secretary's visit

The Secretary of the Provincial Ministry of Land, Irrigation, Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock Development & Health and Cooperatives of the Eastern Province, A.R.M. Maharoof, together with the Director of Fisheries, S. Suthakaran,
recently travelled to the Ampara and the Batticaloa Districts.

As part of this trip, they met with individuals involved in agriculture, livestock, and freshwater fish farming in Illukkutchchenai on Sunday, July 8th. Discussions included matters relating to integrated farming and the ways and means to develop these sectors in Ampara District.

The following day, the Secretary was the chief guest at the first-year anniversary of the Kayalvizi Freshwater Fish Farmers Association at the 11th colony in Central Camp. In 1952, under the Galoya Scheme, 150 poor farmer families were settled at this colony on 600 acres of land, and the population has now grown to 2,300 families.

As part of the anniversary activities, the Secretary awarded prizes to the winners of a quiz competition conducted for schoolchildren by the Association. He also visited the sixteen freshwater fish ponds constructed there by the humanitarian organisation World Concern and inspected the condition of the fishes.

During subsequent meetings, the Secretary said that the Eastern Provincial Council hoped to renovate the three tanks [man-made lakes] in Annamalai, Panama, and Illukkutchchenai, for the benefit of Tamil, Sinhalese, and Muslim farmers and freshwater fishermen in the region.

On Tuesday, July 10th, the Secretary introduced 15,000 of the Thelapia Nirotika variety of fishlings at the Neelavanai Periyakulam tank in Ampara District.