EDB Chief to chair Infofish Governing Council

At the last governing council meeting held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in December 2010 Sri Lanka was unanimously elected to chair the INFOFISH governing council for year 2011.

Accordingly, Janaka Ratnayake, chairman and chief executive of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board will chair the sessions of INFOFISH governing council during the year 2011.

INFOFISH, the inter governmental organisation for marketing, information and technical advisory for fisheries products in the Asia and the Pacific Region was established as a regional project to promote trade in fish and fishery products from and within the region by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in year 1981. INFOFISH became an Intergovernmental Organisation in 1987.

Sri Lanka is a member of INFOFISH from its inception and the EDB is the counterpart agency for INFOFISH in Sri Lanka and functions as the national liaison office. INFOFISH has fourteen (14) member countries including Sri Lanka.

Main function of the INFOFISH governing council is to determine the organisation policy and provide approvals for work programmes and its budget, giving due consideration to the conclusions and recommendations of the Technical and Advisory Board which meets annually in the middle of year.

INFOFISH has been providing valuable services such as marketing, information on fishery products including export opportunities and supply development, advisory services on technological developments, product specifications, processing methods and quality standards in accordance with market requirements. It also organises training, awareness workshops and seminars on market development for government officials and the industrialists etc.

Currently, Sri Lanka is working on two major projects with INFOFISH namely Promotion of Processing and Marketing of Freshwater Fishery Project and Tuna Long Lining Project.

INFOFISH Trade News is the single source to access international prices of fish and fishery products which gives wholesale market prices in various markets. The EDB disseminate the international price information among the exporters via e-mail.

Holding the Chairmanship of INFOFISH governing council will be a great opportunity for Sri Lanka to promote Sri Lankan fish and fishery industry in the global market place.