In brief
Chinese experts have launched a three‑day training program in southern Sri Lanka to help local farmers learn advanced tropical fruit techniques. The initiative follows a recent China–FAO South‑South cooperation project that raised banana output by 70 % and mango yield by more than 50 %. Chinese officials hope the course will deepen agricultural links and benefit Sri Lankan farmers.
On November 10, 2026, a three‑day tropical fruit training program began in Sri Lanka’s Southern Province with Chinese experts from the Hainan province foreign affairs office and the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences leading the session. The course covers banana, pineapple and mango seedling propagation and high‑efficiency production methods.
Participants included agricultural technicians, researchers, students and fruit farmers from the Southern Province. Lectures were paired with field‑study visits so trainees could observe advanced cultivation and production techniques in action.
Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka Wei Huaxiang said the program would widen exchanges and strengthen China‑Sri Lanka agricultural cooperation, offering Chinese solutions for sustainable development and benefiting the people of Sri Lanka. W.L.O. Manel, an agricultural official of the Southern Province, added that the training marks the beginning of broader prospects for cooperation between the two countries.
"This training will further expand exchanges and cooperation between China and Sri Lanka in the field of tropical agriculture, contribute Chinese solutions to the sustainable development of Sri Lanka's agriculture, and bring more benefits to the people of Sri Lanka," said Ambassador Wei.
China‑FAO South‑South Cooperation Project (April 2023–September 2025) had already seen China’s experts introduce fruit bagging and precise drip irrigation at 10 demonstration sites. Those interventions boosted banana output by 70 % and mango yield by over 50 %, while cutting fertilizer use by 72 %. The new training aims to build on that success and spread the techniques to a wider group of Sri Lankan farmers.
For the farmers attending, the workshop offers a chance to improve yields, reduce inputs and increase the competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s tropical fruit exports, strengthening both local economies and the bilateral relationship between China and Sri Lanka.
