By: Staff Writer
October 26, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry is confronting a costly contradiction: despite possessing extensive marine resources and supporting millions of livelihoods, the country continues to lose valuable fish after it is caught, undermining fishermen’s earnings, consumer affordability and export competitiveness.
A proposed collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) offers an opportunity to confront this longstanding weakness, but its success will depend on whether the Government translates preliminary studies into measurable improvements across the entire supply chain.
The scale of the challenge is significant. The Ministry of Fisheries’ 2025 progress report estimated that approximately 320,470 people were engaged in fishing-related work, while around 2.7 million people were employed in or depended indirectly on the industry.
During January–September 2025, total fish production reached 281,755 metric tonnes, comprising 237,395 tonnes from marine fisheries and 44,360 tonnes from freshwater fisheries. Export earnings during that period amounted to Rs.68.889 billion, equivalent to approximately US$230.1 million. These figures underline the economic stakes involved in protecting every tonne harvested.
Ministry of Fisheries Sri Lanka
Hitherto the industry’s potential remains constrained by inadequate temperature control, transportation difficulties, handling weaknesses and gaps in cold-chain infrastructure. The Japanese Embassy in Colombo has indicated that post-harvest losses in Sri Lanka’s fisheries sector may reach as high as 40 per cent. That is an alarming estimate, although the precise nationwide loss rate requires systematic verification rather than being treated as an established figure for every fishing operation.
The production figures also demand closer scrutiny. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s 2026 agriculture data bulletin, marine fish production was approximately 308,000 tonnes in both 2024 and 2025. However, highly provisional data showed marine production falling year-on-year during January and February 2026. This makes improving the value recovered from existing catches particularly important: increasing fishing effort alone cannot guarantee better returns when substantial quantities may deteriorate before reaching consumers or export markets.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry says arrangements are underway for a special cooperation agreement with JICA. An initial assessment of post-harvest challenges has been completed, while a feasibility study scheduled from November 2026 to February 28, 2027, is expected to examine selected coastal and deep-sea fishing locations. The findings will inform project proposals before the main programme is formally launched.
The critical question is whether the study will identify practical failures at every stage—from onboard storage and landing-site handling to ice availability, processing, transport and market distribution. A credible assessment must distinguish physical wastage from losses in quality and market value, establishing where interventions would deliver the greatest economic return.
Japan has already provided six refrigerated trucks under a grant worth 200 million yen, approximately US$1.25 million, alongside three ice-making machines intended for Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee. These facilities offer a foundation, but their actual impact must be independently measured.
Ultimately, Sri Lanka must ensure that JICA assistance does more than produce reports and distribute equipment. Reduced spoilage, better prices for fishermen, affordable supplies for consumers and higher export earnings should become the benchmarks against which the programme is judged. Without transparent targets and sustained maintenance, fisheries wealth will continue to leak away after the catch is landed.
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