A meeting was held on 6th November between senior representatives of the University of Saskatchewan and a visiting Sri Lankan delegation to explore collaboration opportunities in agriculture, research, and innovation. Facilitated by the Sri Lanka Canada Business Council under the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce—the discussions emphasized strengthening bilateral cooperation and enhancing academic-industry linkages. The University of Saskatchewan highlighted its strong research and innovation ecosystem, including Canada’s only Canadian Light Source facility, advanced bioprocessing and bioproduct development resources, livestock and dairy research centers, and globally recognized expertise in agriculture and water science.
The Sri Lankan delegation shared insights into the nation’s longstanding agricultural heritage, supported by an irrigation system dating back over 1,800 years and more than 1,000 lakes, along with a fast-advancing innovation environment backed by a USD 50million government venture fund for startups. Key challenges such as post-harvest losses, production inefficiencies, and supply chain limitations were identified as priority areas for collaborative intervention.
Extensive discussions covered specific avenues for partnership, including:
- Enhancing post-harvest preservation technologies to reduce crop losses
- Developing food processing and value-addition facilities for export readiness
- Advancing biomass utilization and bioproducts research to unlock renewable materials
- Joint development of nutritionally improved and climate-resilient crop varieties
- Introducing smart agriculture technologies including data analytics, irrigation automation, and crop monitoring tools
- Establishing joint student exchange programs, co-supervised graduate research, and academic mobility scholarships
- Creating opportunities for Sri Lankan industries to access Canadian innovation pipelines, including pilot-scale testing and product commercialization
- Collaborative agritech entrepreneurship development, leveraging Saskatchewan’s strengths in licensing income and spin-off creation.
Existing cooperation in veterinary and public health research provides a strong foundation to broaden the partnership into food security, biotechnology, nutrigenomics, and supply-chain improvement initiatives. The meeting concluded with a joint commitment to formalize future engagement through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), establish focused working groups, promote knowledge sharing, and facilitate stronger trade and investment exchanges in the agriculture sector.
Both parties expressed optimism about shaping a long-term strategic partnership that supports innovation-led agricultural modernization, strengthens research and education pathways, and advances economic cooperation between Saskatchewan and Sri Lanka.
