Two new varieties of pomegranate have been introduced in Sri Lanka, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera announced.
The minister said the new varieties of pomegranate are named ‘Malee Pink’ and ‘Lanka Red’, and have been introduced for cultivation in the dry zones of Sri Lanka.
The new varieties of pomegranate have been introduced following tissue culture research conducted by the Plant Virus Indexing Centre in Homagama and can be used as an alternative to the currently imported red pomegranate varieties.
The special feature of these two new 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, he said.
The pomegranate varieties were handed over to farmers for cultivation by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera today (Jan 24). (NewsWire)
