Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has granted USD 7.1 mn for the modernization of the plant quarantine system of Sri Lanka. According to a KOICA statement, this project has been implemented with National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) of Department of Agriculture (DOA) under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The project, originally launched in 2019, aims to enhance export competitiveness of Sri Lankan agricultural products by improving plant quarantine capacity by enhancing its technical capacity, enhancing plant quarantine institutional capacity, enhancing plant quarantine human capacity, establishment of new plant quarantine station in Colombo sea port and modernization of equipment for NPQS and quarantine services at airport/sea port, improving the capacity of plant quarantine officers, improvement of plant quarantine regulation and inspection method, establishing GAP improvement report and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) extension manual and establishing plant quarantine information system (PQIMS).

As part of the project, Korean project management consultants jointly with DOA carried out the detailed study for few crops across the country and have developed GAP manuals, especially for 10 crops, namely Eggplant, Tomato, Chili Pepper, Beans, Cabbage, Banana, Pineapple, Mango, Avocado, Papaya and Guava which will serve as self-guides for the agriculture extension officers, farmers and other agriculture practitioners for improving their farming practices based on approved standards. Also, this guide will give them a directions to obtain SL GAP certification for their products and gain a good price by selling these healthy vegetables and fruits to the market.

These manuals and GAP consulting report has been ceremonially handed over to the Department of Agriculture by KOICA and Project Management Consultants for their future operation and promotion. Followed by the ceremony, 10,000 printed manuals (Tamil and Sinhala) have been given to the DOA to be distributed among their extension officers across the country and softcopies are available to download from DOA’s website [ https://doa.gov.lk/naicc-books/#1611303308385-57287a47-bfd5] free of cost. At the same time, a GAP promotional video has been developed and will be shared through TV channels to boost the practice among famers and enlighten the general public to consume standardized products.

During the ceremony, the Deputy Country Director of KOICA, Kim Doyun stated “Today, we witnessed a remarkable milestone in the development of the GAP Manuals for the Agriculture sector in Sri Lanka and it will definitely influence farmer communities and stakeholders in the right direction to produce and purchase standardized agricultural products.”

He insists that these practices will not be limited to these 10 crops but also its need to be replicated to other crops by the DOA and other government counterparts considering long-term development of the country. He also stated that the Korean Government and KOICA stand in solidarity with Sri Lanka in this time of need and will continue to support the development of the country.”