Key Trends from the 2005 country brief

• Total agricultural researchers in Sri Lanka rose steadily during 1981-2003. Agricultural R&D expenditures showed an erratic upward trend throughout the same period.
• The Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (CARP) oversees research activities of 20 government and higher-education agencies under five different ministries.
• Agricultural research is primarily financed by the government through a dual funding system. The majority of funds are directly provided to the agencies, while funds for strategic research are channeled via CARP through a Competitive Contract Research Grants Program (CCRGP).
• Over the next ten years, three-quarters of Sri Lanka’s agricultural research staff is scheduled for training in the South Asian region as part of a regional training program that CARP is coordinating.
• Private-sector research is still small, but increasing through collaborative work with government agencies and the universities.

Sri Lanka