DATC receives agricultural equipment from Japan

The Government of Japan has granted Rs. 3.6 million worth of agricultural machinery and training equipment to the District Agricultural Training Center (DATC) of Western Province (WP) at Ambepussa through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under follow up cooperation of its Project Type Technical Cooperation from 1994-1999. This donation includes agricultural machinery such as four wheel tractors, bush cutters, slasher and training equipment such as computers, multi media projectors etc.

DATC has been evolved from the JICA supported agriculture extension improvement project (AEIP) under the Project Type Technical Cooperation which was aimed at effective utilization of coconut land by introducing inter-cropping to produce in commercial basis.

After successful completion of JICA cooperation to establish a system to inter-cropping, DATC continued it with improvements to suite for the changing agricultural environment in the Gampaha District which has the neighbouring commercial city of Colombo.

At present, a large number of individual farmers and farmer groups of commercial pineapple growers have emerged as a result of the system which was strengthen and established by the JICA project and continuation of the same progressively by the DATC after completion JICA project.

DATC has moderated and upgraded the extension and training of agriculture instructors as well as young farmers and house-wives who are keenly engaged in home gardening and floriculture with the market derived from commercial cities nearby.
