The Fisheries Ministry has decided to establish export-oriented sea leech production villages along the North and East shallow seas.
Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing at the Government Information Department, Cabinet Spokesman Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardane said that Sri Lanka has been able to earn a significant amount of foreign exchange by exporting sea leeches harvested from the natural marine environment.
Based on the experience gained, the National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka has initiated a commercial sea leech cultivation project.The project is implemented with the aim of earning foreign exchange and enhancing the livelihood of fishery communities through creating sea leech breeding centres, expanding sea leech farms and establishing sea leech export production villages. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Fisheries Minister to expand the project by identifying 5,000 acres in Jaffna, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Batticaloa districts to establish 100 acre Sea Leech production and exporting villages and creating one acre sea leech cultivation farms for each 100 acre land.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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