Two new pomegranate varieties introduced

Colombo, Jan 24 (Daily Mirror) - Following tissue culture research conducted by the Plant Virus Indexing Centre, Homagama, two new varieties of pomegranate named 'Malee Pink' and 'Lanka Red' were introduced for cultivation in Sri Lanka today, the Agriculture Ministry said.

The two new varieties of pomegranate were handed over to farmers for cultivation by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera today.

The special feature of these two latest varieties is that the lifespan of a pomegranate tree is over 30 years and 20–25 kgs of pomegranates can be harvested from each tree per year. A total of 400 trees can be planted per acre, which can generate an annual income of Rs. 8 million per acre, the Minister said.

In particular, these two types of pomegranate are suitable for cultivation in the dry zone, and these varieties can be used as an alternative to the currently imported red pomegranate varieties.

The cost of pomegranate imports can be reduced in our country, the Minister said.

Accordingly, the Minister advised the Agriculture Department to focus on promoting exportable crops to prevent the further import of agricultural crops that can be grown wothin this country but are still imported from foreign countries.