STORY: Sowing hope in Sri Lanka -- how Chinese agricultural expertise is revolutionizing fruit production  
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 23, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 30, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:05
LOCATION: MAKANDURA, Sri Lanka 
CATEGORY: AGRICULTURE 

SHOTLIST:
1. various of pineapple fields 
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DARSHANI JAYAMANNE, Additional director of sustainable agriculture research and development center in Makandura
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): KAPILA MUNASINGHE, National project specialist of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

STORYLINE:

In the sweltering heartland of Sri Lanka, Chinese tropical agriculture specialists are transforming local farming practices through modern techniques, helping farmers significantly boost their yields.

From fruit bagging and raised ridges to precise drip irrigation, the Chinese specialists have worked tirelessly to teach these methods to local farmers.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DARSHANI JAYAMANNE, Additional director of sustainable agriculture research and development center in Makandura
"This technology (fruit bagging) may be a good solution for preventing the fruits from the damage from wild animals and direct sunlight. Other thing is when we take a fruit, we can have a very even color.
And the irrigation system introduced by the Chinese method is also very nice. This raised bed system and the irrigation underside the mulch is very advantageous and very climate-smart."

These efforts are part of the China-FAO Sri Lanka South-South Cooperation Project, launched in 2023.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): KAPILA MUNASINGHE, National project specialist of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
"The technology introduced by Chinese experts was very much appreciated by farmers. And because the expected yield from this technology is three times more than the methodology introduced by the Department of Agriculture, so the farmers are very keen in adopting this technology. In addition to technical things, they are very much friendly, down to earth, to everything, and without any hesitation, they would like to give the technology they know."

The results speak for themselves. Mango orchards adopting Chinese techniques saw a 50 percent increase in yields. Pineapple harvests are projected to triple, and the quality and quantity of bananas have also significantly improved.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Makandura, Sri Lanka.
(XHTV)