Soursop cultivation successful, to be exported

There is a high demand for soursop (katu anoda) grown in Sri Lanka from many countries like USA, Netherlands, China, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada, Maldives and the United Arab Emirates.

In order to cater to this market, the Agriculture Ministry has started the cultivation of 200 acres of soursop – 100 acres in the Wellawaya, Aluthwela and Ridhimaliadda areas and 100 acres in the Ampara district.

Under the Agriculture Ministry’s Agriculture Sector Modernization Project (ASMP) and Small Scale Agri-Entrepreneurship Participation Project (SAPP), the necessary financial and technical support for the soursop plantations has been given to farmers.

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on Friday observed the soursop plantation which has been cultivated on 100 acres in Wellawaya Aluthwela. Secretary of the Ministry Gunadasa Samarasinghe and a group of officials including the directors of the two projects participated in the event.

In this soursop plantation, a yield of 50 kg is to be harvested from one tree and it is possible to obtain a yield of 2,000 kg from an acre of cultivation. Farmers can get an income of Rs. 2.5 million in the first harvest per acre.

In addition, groundnut and other vegetables are grown as additional crops in the soursop cultivations, which also enable farmers to get additional income.

One farmer is engaged in the cultivation of one acre of soursop and they have been given a loan of Rs. 5 lakhs. While meeting the farmers, the Minister also said that it has been decided to increase the amount of the loan given to farmers who join the cultivation up to Rs. 9 lakhs.

The Minister also observed the CAP-CEYLON company located in Thanamalwila, which exports drinks made from soursop.

The company is currently exporting soursop drinks to several countries as a value-added beverage of high quality processed from the shells purchased from the farmers.

The Minister advised the Director of the Agriculture Sector Modernization Project, Dr. Rohan Wijekoon, to take immediate steps to build a factory to prepare the pulp needed for fruit-related products by using woodapple which grows in the Thanamalwila and Wellawaya areas.