No ban on import of Maldivian fish to Sri Lanka
This is “a crucial source of income and livelihood for Maldivians”
(File photo) Local fishermen at sea
Sri Lanka does not have a ban on the import of Maldivian fish.
Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid via Twitter on Thursday said that Lankan authorities have confirmed that “there is no ban on the import of Maldive fish and fish product to Sri Lanka,” adding that this is “a crucial source of income and livelihood for Maldivians”.
He also expressed appreciation for the “special bond of cooperation and friendship” between the two nations.
Prior to Shahid’s tweet, during the Hoarafushi Domestic Airport inauguration ceremony on Thursday evening, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had announced that they had received confirmation from the Sri Lankan Customs that there are no policies banning Maldivian fish imports.
While there had been similar reassurances back in October as well, a fish shipment was held up by Sri Lanka Customs just last week.
The neighboring nation’s president recently, while addressing Sri Lanka’s newly elected parliament at its first sitting, called to halt the importation of fish noting that the country itself “is surrounded by the ocean”.
Majority of Maldives’ export revenue is sourced from exports of fish. Sri Lanka is among the main fish export markets from Maldives, along with Thailand, Russia, Malaysia and member countries of the European Union.
Fishing is the second largest industry in the Maldives.
