Abstract:
Production and export of ornamental fish is a lucrative market opportunity. It has earned valuable foreign exchanges during the past years. This study was conducted to identify the factors that have led to the systematic growth of ornamental fish export in North Western Province, Sri Lanka. North Western Province was selected for this study due to its favorable climate and suitable space for ornamental fish farming. Primary data was collected from all thirteen exporters engaged in the export of ornamental fish in the Kurunegala and Puttalam Districts of the North-Western Province by using a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29. KMO and Bartlett’s Test, Reliability Test, and Descriptive Statistics were used to analyze the data. Four hypotheses were developed to measure the relationship between the variables and examined using Pearson Correlation Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis. The results of this study revealed that the factors of ornamental aquaculture technology, knowledge and skill development, production cost, and awareness of the market were positively correlated to the systematic growth of ornamental fish exports. Subsequently, ornamental aquaculture technology, knowledge, and skill development were found to significantly affect the systematic growth of ornamental fish exports, while production cost and awareness of the market were found to be insignificant. Overall, this study found that the independent variables of ornamental aquaculture technology, knowledge, and skill development affect the systematic growth of ornamental fish exports in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. This study recommended that by identifying the factors behind the growth in the export of ornamental fish, strategies, incentives, and programs should be put in place for its improvement.
