ANURADHAPURA, Sept. 2 -- A new state-of-the-art Banana Tissue Culture Planting Material Production Laboratory was inaugurated this week at the In-Service Training Institute in Maha Illuppallama, North Central Province, marking a significant step toward strengthening Sri Lanka's fruit sector.

The facility, established by the North Central Provincial Department of Agriculture with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the South-South Cooperation (SSC) Program with China, will produce high-quality banana tissue culture planting materials for farmers in the North Central, Northern, and Northwestern Provinces.

Until now, farmers in these regions depended on supplies transported from...