Entrepreneur backed by Lankaputhra Development Bank wins int’l award

Friday, 19 July 2013 04:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

An ornamental fish breeder supported by Lankaputhra Development Bank recently won an international award at the Aquarium

International Fish Competition held in Singapore. The third place in the goldfish category was won by A.M.L.B. Adhikari of Bakamuna in the Polonnaruwa district. There were well-known competitors from many countries and defeating them and winning this award as a Sri Lankan is a great achievement. The ornamental fish breeding project was supervised and guided by the Polonnaruwa branch of the bank. Adhikari, after winning the award, said that he started the business of breeding of ornamental fish in a small way but now it has grown and passed many milestones. He said that goldfish is a popular variety of fish reared by fish lovers and when exporting goldfish from Sri Lanka, exporters have to face stiff competition from other countries who export goldfish. The factors that the judges considered in the goldfish category were activeness, colour and body shape. The Sri Lankan goldfish scored high in all categories and won the award. Adhikari said that the demand for Sri Lankan goldfish increased after the award was won. “Already, we have received many orders from well known international buyers,” he said. He added that Lankaputhra Development Bank and many other institutions helped him and said that he was grateful to all of them for being a part of his success. He explained that the life of a goldfish is three years while four categories of goldfish have good demand and among them, the highest demand internationally is for red and white goldfish. Lankaputhra Development Bank a fully fledged Government bank that was opened to strengthen the local economy by supporting the entrepreneurs of the country. The bank has initiated many loan schemes to support the small and medium scale entrepreneurs in the country. In addition to the savings scheme for children with attractive interest rates, leasing and pawning services are also offered by the bank. At present, the bank has branches in Colombo, Hambantota, Polonnaruwa, Kegalle, Kandy, Wennappuwa, Trincomalee and Batticaloa. The bank is planning to open a branch in every district of the country to cater to the needs of its valued customers.