The Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan, emphasized that we welcome the initiatives being implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to improve the livelihoods of inland fishing communities and should be expanded to other parts of the Northern Province as well.
He made the above remarks a delegation from the International Labour Organization and the Norwegian Embassy met with the Hon. Governor and discussed on this morning (Friday, 22th May of 2026) at the Northern Province Governor’s Secretariat.
During the meeting, the Governor further stated that agriculture and fisheries form the economic backbone of the Northern Province. However, farmers and fishermen continue to face major challenges in marketing their products and dealing with price fluctuations. He pointed out that middlemen are often the primary beneficiaries of profits. To address this situation, more value-added manufacturing industries should be established. he noted that only through greater competition in the market can farmers and fishermen receive fair prices for their produce.
The representatives also inquired about investment opportunities in the Northern Province. In response, the Governor explained that the Northern Province Investment Conference, organized last January through “The Management Club,” had been successfully conducted, and follow-up activities are currently underway. He added that expatriate investors had also shown keen interest and participated actively.At the same time, he mentioned that the present government is planning to establish three new investment zones in the Northern Province, and preliminary efforts toward this initiative are already in progress. In addition, foundational construction work for the Paranthan Chemical Factory has now commenced.
Meanwhile, the representatives also asked about the information regarding the challenges faced by the people of the Northern Province due to the prevailing crisis situations in Middle Eastern countries.
The Governor further pointed out that local fishermen are still engaged in fishing using traditional methods. He stressed the importance of encouraging modernization by providing them with multi-day fishing vessels.
The Governor also clarified the financial assistance being provided through the Provincial Council to promote inland fishing and discussed ways to further strengthen the sector. Representatives of the International Labour Organization explained the operations of the tilapia fish processing facility that was opened in Iranamadu. Extensive discussions were held on how the project could be further developed, expanded to other districts, and supported through provincial administrative cooperation.
Following people were participated in the meeting :
• Sivapalasundaram Sathiyaseelan, Secretary to the Governor of the Northern Province
• Tormod Nooland, Second Secretary of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi
• Akansha, Senior Programme Officer of the Royal Norwegian Embassy
• Thomas Kring, Chief Technical Adviser of the International Labour Organization
• Nihal Devagiri, National Coordinator of the ILO’s “GROW” Project
• Field Coordinators Vasudev and Thapesan
