Japan grants $ 4.1 m to boost Sri Lanka’s agricultural exports, green policy

Tuesday, 5 April 2022 03:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Japan is to grant $ 4.1 million to expand agricultural production and exports and help import safe agricultural products and organic fertilisers to Sri Lanka by enhancing the phytosanitary capacity of five Plant Quarantine Stations including the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) and Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).

An agreement to this effect was signed by Japanese Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki and Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle.

Sri Lanka has a long history of exporting quality agricultural products including tea, rubber, coconut, spices, flowers, fresh fruits, vegetables, etc.

To accelerate the economic recovery from the pandemic, Japan decided to provide modern Japanese equipment to contribute to the rapid detection of pests in agricultural products and expedite import and export clearance.

The series of equipment will enable Sri Lanka to meet phytosanitary requirements in high-end markets and increase the export of fresh fruits and vegetables such as mangoes, rambutans, papayas, pineapples, and curry leaves to Western countries, Japan, and other countries.

Japan believes that this assistance will contribute to improving farmers’ income and the acquisition of foreign currency with increased agricultural export earnings and facilitate the Green Agriculture Policy in Sri Lanka through the import of safe organic fertilisers while contributing to enhancing food security.

The equipment to be provided includes a plant x-ray scanner, DNA sequencing system, incubators, high-end microscope, and real-time PCR, which will be installed at the NPQS, a facility built in the 1990s by Japan’s grant assistance in Katunayake, and Plant Quarantine Stations at the BIA, Seaport in Colombo, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport, and Jaffna International Airport.

With the ongoing BIA terminal expansion project, Japan will further support Sri Lanka’s free and open economic development by promoting tourism and agricultural export.