Antara News, Tue, February 01 2011
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Sri Lanka has asked Indonesia to invest in the development of the fishery and maritime resource sector in that country.
Indonesian minister of fisheries and marine resources Fadel Muhammad said the invitation was conveyed during his meeting with Sri Lanka`s minister of fisheries and marine resources, Dr Rajitna Serantne, last week.
"Sri Lanka wishes for investment from Indonesia," he said when explaining the results of his visit to that country.
Fadel said Indonesian fishermen in their operation often reached that country`s border.
He said they often uploaded their catch in that country because it would be too far and quality of the fish could be affected if they had to do it in Indonesia.
"Almost 400 Indonesian fishing boats upload their catch in Sri Lanka every year," he said.
In view of that he said he had asked Sri Lanka to provide a special fishing port as the present was not organized well.
The director general of fisheries, Ketut Made Sugama, said Sri Lanka has huge sea fishery potentials and therefore it had not only asked for investment they had also asked Indonesia to cooperate in the management of fishery resources in the Indian Ocean.
It has also asked for aid of marine resource seeds to develop marine resource cultivation in coastal areas especially sea weeds, fingerlings and sea cucumber.
"They have also asked for technology transfer in ornamental fish breeding for nemo species and sea shrimps," he said.
Fadel said Indonesia and Sri Lanka had agreed to develop trade cooperation in the fields of fishery and marine resources through capacity development and technical cooperation in fish cultivation.
As the follow-up of the meeting, he said, the two countries would discuss further the formulation of a memorandum of understanding for it which is expected to be signed in the middle of this year.
The two countries also agreed to conduct meetings of businessmen in the fishery and marine resource sectors.
