Guidance on MD 2 pineapple cultivation in Sri Lanka

16 April 2024 12:17 pm

Colombo, April 12 (Daily Mirror) - The Agriculture Department is set to provide urgent recommendations for the cultivating one of the world's most popular pineapple varieties, MD 2 or Super Sweet Pineapple (Ananas comosus) in Sri Lanka.

Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said the most delicious pineapple species in the world are reported from Sri Lanka. Therefore, there is a great demand in the world market for pineapples grown in Sri Lanka.

Even though there is a huge demand for the MD 2 pineapple variety in the world market, no steps have been taken to cultivate this pineapple variety in this country. The research conducted to cultivate this pineapple variety with a sweet taste and minimum acidity in Sri Lanka has also been successful.

Under the recommendations of the Crop Release Committee, the Minister advised the Agriculture Department to speed up the process of recommending this MD 2 pineapple variety for cultivation in Sri Lanka.

Under the Agriculture Sector Modernization Programme, the research conducted for the cultivation of this MD 2 pineapple variety in Sri Lanka has been successful and the farmers have also expressed interest in cultivating this pineapple variety, Minister Amaraweera said.