New technology figuring in the preparation of dried and Maldive fish for export

By Ifham Nizam

Sri Lanka exported a 10,000 kg container of dried and Maldive fish to Australia and Korea recently using a new dehydration technology, Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.

The minister said that there is a huge demand for Sri Lanka’s dried fish and Maldive fish. “This is the first time that our country’s dried fish and Maldive fish have been exported to Australia and Korea, he explained.

The export of the first 10,000 kg container was carried out by the Mega fish manufactory, which produces dried fish and Maldive Fish in Pahajjawa in the Hambantota district.

Amaraweera said that under the traditional method dried fish and Maldives fish are dried in the sunlight, but under this new technology, dried and Maldives fish are processed using an air conditioned dehydration system.

Amaraweera explained: “Dried and Maldive fish produced using this technology are completely safe and healthy and very suitable for human consumption. Especially due to factors such as the use of low salt to dry the dried fish and the fact that the oil contained in the fish is not removed, the quality of dried fish and Maldive fish under this new technology is high.

“We took the initial steps to launch this project when I was the Fisheries Minister in 2018. President’s Counsel Upali Mohotti, who was the chairman of the Aquaculture Development Authority at that time, submitted proposals for this project.

“Today that project is proving successful. There is a high probability of waste being added to traditional dried fish and Maldive fish preparations. More salt was used to preserve the fish. But for the first time, there is no possibility of a little dust or even a fly entering the production of dried and Maldive fish in this factory, which is being done using air conditioning systems.”

“By producing dried and Maldive fish using this new method, Sri Lanka can offer dried fish that is most suitable for human consumption to the market. This will give us the foreign exchange that the country needs. Such projects can be used in all sectors in the country.”