Chinese Ministry of Agriculture provides USD 1.5 million for fruit production project in Sri Lanka in May 2023

On May 11, 2023, the Chinese Government, the Sri Lankan Government, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a USD 1.5 million project for the improvement of fruit production in Sri Lanka under the South-South Cooperation program.

The program involves a team of nine Chinese technical experts in fruit production working alongside their Sri Lankan counterparts from the Fruit Research Development Institute (FRDI) and the National Institute of Post-Harvest Management (NIPHM) for over two and a half years.

According to the FAO, the interventions will focus on practical field-based training programs including the establishment of model fruit farms, and improving post-harvest handling, marketing, and commercialization of the selected fruit varieties.

The project which will be implemented in Kalutara, Gampaha, Monaragala, Anuradhapura, and Kilinochchi districts will focus on productivity, production, and commercialization of the fruit value-chains of three main Sri Lankan fruit crops - banana, mango, and pineapple. According to a media source, the project is valued at USD 1.5 million funded by China (Source ID #216709).

This project is under the FAO and China Trust Fund Phase II for the FAO-China SSC Programme. The general agreement for Phase II was formally signed on June 7, 2015.

Under this agreement, the Chinese government provided USD 50 million for programs to improve food security and promote sustainable agricultural developments in developing countries.