COLOMBO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiated a project via funding from China as part of the South-South Cooperation program, to improve the quality and value of Sri Lankan fruits in the global market, the FAO said here on Friday.
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, according to the FAO.
"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," said the FAO.
A team of nine Chinese technical experts have begun working alongside their counterparts from the Fruit Research and Development Institute (FRDI) and the National Institute of Post Harvest Management (NIPHM) of Sri Lanka to implement the program over the next two and a half years, said the FAO.
Noting that Sri Lanka has a rich diversity of fruits with approximately 100 edible fruit crops, the FAO said the fruit sector, which remains underdeveloped, suffers from poor cultivation and high post-harvest losses leading to low yield and inadequate adherence to international quality standards.
The FAO said this project aims to address such concerns and strengthen the fruit value chains in the domestic as well as export markets. ■
