THE Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has completed a year-long, US$203,000 project to boost the capacity of the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Yezin, Mandalay Division, to conduct research projects and apply it findings in practical ways.

The Strengthening Capacity and Upgrading the Forest Research Institute in Yezin project started in April 2006 and was wrapped up with a two-day workshop in late May in Nay Pyi Taw.

During the project, a series of workshops and training courses were conducted by experts and consultants hired by FAO, according to information released by the institute.

Officials from ministries related to the forestry sector – including the ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation, and of Livestock and Fisheries – as well as representatives from local non-government organisations were also invited to the workshops to take part in discussions.

The project – which was supervised by the FAO office in Myanmar and FRI director U Own Win, who acted as the national project coordinator – also included establishing an electronic database for the library at the institute.
Two experienced researchers from the institute were also sent to research departments in India and Malaysia for two weeks of training.

FAO helped found the institute in 1978 by contributing to the construction of required buildings and laboratories in Yezin. The organisation also provided US$3.59 million to help researchers at the institute pursue extensive overseas studies from 1978 to 1987, a project to which the Myanmar government also gave K58.5 million.