The reality of the peace dividend is starkly evident in the Eastern Province, and can be enjoyed by all communities - Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim - without any difference, Professor G. L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade, said in Ampara over the week-end.

Inaugurating a tuna long line fisheries project in Kalmunai, he said that the fisheries resources of the Eastern waters could not be commercially exploited for more than a decade because of terrorism in the area. With the dawn of a lasting peace, this situation has changed dramatically, and the fishing community can look forward to a much brighter future.

The quality of the tuna catch was greatly impaired by the continued use of traditional fishing methods involving nets, and this prevented realisation of maximum benefits in terms of foreign exchange, because the Japanese market was particularly demanding in terms of quality, he said.

Prof. Peiris said that the Government was spending 11.5 million rupees for this multi- faceted project Rs. 10.3 million for the provision of equipment including -radar and fishing gear for multi-day boats, Rs. 900,000 for training and Rs. 300,000 for a floating jetty. This project, implemented in collaboration with the Ampara District Fisheries Department, will confer immense benefits on the fishing communities in the Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu and Vilachchinai areas, Prof. Peiris observed.

M. M. Mustaffa, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, referred to the importance of using modern technology to enhance the livelihoods of the fishing communities in the area, and described the project as exemplary from the standpoint of its practical impact.

S. Nijabdeen, Deputy Minister of Janatha Estate Development and Management, commented on the properly integrated nature of the project, which would make a significant difference to livelihoods and to the economy of the coastal area.

In Digavapi, Prof. Peiris inaugurated the third phase of an agricultural project involving pineapple cultivation. This project, which entails 200 acres coming under pineapple cultivation - 50 acres in Uhana, 50 acres in Namal Oya and 100 acres in Attalachchanai - is undertaken at a cost of Rs. 16.2 million. 1.2 million high quality pineapple plants are to be distributed, and the beneficiaries consist of 380 families.

Prof. Peiris and P. Dayaratne, Minister of Plan Implementation, who participated in the event 'with Wimalaweera Dissanayake, Minister of Education and Lands in the Eastern Provincial Council, explained to the beneficiary families the advantages accruing to them from exposure to international markets.

The third project in the Ampara District, involving turmeric cultivation, brings 40 acres under cultivation in its first phase. 197 farming families in Gonagala, Mayadunna and Uhana benefit from this project which supports tumeric cultivation as a supplementary source of income for paddy farmers. Mr. Ariyapala, the President of the tumeric cultivators' society, told Prof. Peiris that Rs. 75,000 is being earned as net project by farmers from one-quarter of an acre under tumeric cultivation, considerably enhancing the quality of life of the paddy farmers in the area.

Janaka Sugathadasa, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Export Development and International Trade, and Ms. Sujatha Weerakoon, Director General of the Export Development Board, participated in these events.