Feature: Sri Lankan orchardists' harvest dreams with Chinese agricultural techniques

This photo taken on Feb. 20, 2025 shows a mango test field in Nochchiyagama, Sri Lanka. (Xinhua/Wu Yue)

COLOMBO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- In Anuradhapura, a central Sri Lankan city, for Bandara Abeysinghe, how mango trees yield abundant fruits is a question.

Abeysinghe is a local agricultural instructor responsible for Nochchiyagama, one of main mango-producing areas in Anuradhapura.

Locals have long been cultivating mangoes but could not ensure stable yields.

In 2023, a cooperation project was launched by China and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Sri Lanka, with Chinese agricultural experts lending a helping hand to Abeysinghe.

In an orchard cultivated by the Chinese experts, Abeysinghe and local farmers learned how to plant mango trees with new techniques, from precise fertilization to pest control.

The demonstration plot was copied in Sri Lanka. Thanks to the new techniques, tropical fruit cultivation experiments have been conducted, including mangoes, pineapples and bananas.

The outcomes, combining Chinese agricultural techniques and local conditions, have been shared with hundreds of thousands of local farmers.

Liu Yangyang, an expert from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, said that the demonstration plots have been well-known for the benefits.

"With the new practical techniques, yields significantly increased, and costs were not high," Abeysinghe said.

Last month, the cooperation project was reviewed and approved by FAO.

Kapila Munasinghe from FAO praised the Chinese experts, saying that their efforts contributed to the livelihoods of Sri Lankan farmers.

Moreover, China and Sri Lanka were exploring new areas of cooperation, including processing agricultural products.

There is potential for agricultural cooperation between the two countries, said Sun Dequan, Chinese team leader of the project.

Liu Yangyang (R), an expert from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, instructs his Sri Lankan colleague to make pineapple cake in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Yue)

This photo taken on Feb. 17, 2025 shows pineapple seedling culture bottles at a project lab in Horana, Sri Lanka. (Xinhua/Wu Yue)