After a brief but productive visit to Yunnan capital Kunming to attend the 7th China-South Asia Expo, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena reached the ancient capital of the province, Dali City, known for agriculture research in addition to being a major tourist attraction.

He first visited the Science and Technology Campus on backyard of Gusheng village, on the banks of Dali Lake where the most successful hybrid varieties of rice has been developed after years of research. The latest paddy variety developed at the Institute gives four times the yield given by the normal rice paddy.

Vice Chancellor of the research campus, Prof Zhoo Jin explained that the new paddy seeds require only a small quantity of water and it can be used in dry zones. He invited the Prime Minister to through the first lot of hybrid paddy seeds to the irrigated paddy field in the Camus to commence the new harvesting season.

The Leader of the Dali Canger Liuxiang Agriculture Development Company’s agriculture experts group, Dr He Yanghong said the newly developed paddy will be very useful to raise the income of the farmers. “We have used these hi-yielding paddy and other crops to alleviate poverty in Yunnan Province,” he said.

The Prime Minister invited the agriculture campus to send a team to inspect a place in Sri Lanka to grow the new high yielding paddy as pilot project.

Later Prime Minister Gunawardena visited the Gusheng village and Erhai Ecological protect, preserve and sustain environment.

State Minister Janaka Wakkumbura, Yadamini Gunawardena MP and Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanyake were also present on this occasion.