GTZ provides fishing boats to Trinco fishermen

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 June 2005, 11:45 GMT]
The German Government through the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) has been distributing fishing boats with outboard engines and fishing nets to tsunami affected fishermen in the Trincomalee district. As a first phase six boats, engines and fishing nets were handed over to beneficiaries in the Muttur division this week, sources said.



Beneficiaries with the boats

29 more boats with outboard engines and fishing nets are to be distributed to tsunami affected fishermen in the district shortly, Mr.Devenesan Croos, Co-ordinator of the Tsunami relief project of the GTZ said.

Mr.A.H.M.Faiz, Assistant Director of Planning, Muttur divisional secretaraiat handing over documents of fishing boat to a beneficiary

This project covers tsunami affected divisional secretariat divisions in the Trincomalee district and is being implemented with the support of the District Fisheries Department. Beneficiaries under this project are selected by fishermen co-operative societies and the Department of Co-operatives is providing technical support to societies to manage the project. The Department of Fisheries provides technical advice for procurements and the selection of societies.

All beneficiaries are asked to repay fifty percent of the total cost of the fishing gear to their respective societies and the recovered money will be used by the members of the each society under a revolving scheme according to rules and regulation of the co-operative department.

Fisheries societies are selected under the project reflecting the ethnic basis of the district and the tsunami affected, sources said.

Mr.A.H.M.Faiz, Assistant Director of Planning in Muttur divisional secretariat recently handed over boats and fishing gear to six fishermen of the area. Mr.Walter Keller, GTZ Team Leader in Trincomalee, Mr.Michael Willeke and Jason Smith, Consultants of the GTZ, Mr.Fareed, Acting Assistant Director of Fisheries and Mr.Sathananthan, Co-operative Development Officer participated in the event, sources said.

Later Ms Sabina Juvegling, Regional Director of the GTZ headquarters in Germany also visited Muttur, sources said.