Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-04-24

Signing of an Agreement on the Exchange of Sugarcane Breeding Material between Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Under a collaboration undertaken between 3 Agricultural Research Institutes in Pakistan and the Sugarcane Research Institute of Sri Lanka in the year 2010, the exchange of commercial varieties of sugarcane breeding material for sugarcane plant improvement through modern breeding technologies and training of young agricultural scientists have been carried out.

Considering its success, a proposal has been made to have a new Memorandum of Understanding on the exchange of sugarcane breeding material between the Sugarcane Research Institute of Sri Lanka and the Sugarcane Research and Development Board and the Sugarcane Research Institute in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Under this programme, an opportunity is created to obtain new sugarcane varieties to Sri Lanka and to engage in joint research activities with the Agricultural Scientists of Pakistan. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Navin Dissanayake, the Minister of Plantation Industries, to sign the proposed Memorandum of Understanding between the relevant institutes, was approved by the Cabinet.