Government Offers Fish prices via SMS

The service was launched under Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne's patronage, reports Daily News.

Consumers will now be able to access fish prices announced daily by the CFC through this new facility through GovSMS using a special code and sending it to the Government Information Centre (GIC 1919).

Consumers could also personally call the Government Information Centre and obtain fish prices. Users of Android phones could also use this service to obtain the daily fish prices announced by CFC. Addressing the launching ceremony, Minister Senaratne said all these measures have been taken to mitigate the involvement of brokers in the fisheries industry and eradicate their monopoly in the fish trade.

The involvement of the brokers in the fisheries sector caused a steep rise in fish prices. Fish prices going up in this fashion caused hardship to consumers. Making the public unhappy is not the aim of the government. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's aim is making Sri Lanka the 'Wonder of Asia' while creating a public friendly economy, the minister said. "We have taken a vital step to stabilise fish prices in the local market and at present we have achieved success. There is a stable price for fish now. We have made arrangements to purchase the fish harvest in the Northern and Eastern provinces while deploying six CFC lorries equipped with cool storage," Senaratne said.