On 12 March 2024, over 20 engineers and technical staff of the Farm Mechanization Research Centre of the Department of Agriculture of Sri Lanka participated a training programme on the ANTAM Code for Combine Harvesters endorsed by the ANTAM Annual Meeting in December 2023.

Organized by the Department of Agriculture with support from CSAM and partial funding within the framework of the ANTAM-Japan Cooperation Project, the training programme included lectures and a practical session for the implementation and better understanding of the new ANTAM test code and related procedures for combine harvesters. The training covered topics ranging from settings and adjustments of the combine harvester for optimum performance and minimum losses, to verification of manufacturers’ specifications, to performance evaluation and data visualization.  

As the first practical application of the new test code, besides improving local testing capacity and fostering acceptance of the code at national level, the training was also an opportunity to develop the related data collection and report sheets, and most importantly gather useful information on the implementation of the test items, which will be discussed during the upcoming consultations of the ANTAM Technical Working Group on Combine Harvesters that will work to improve and expand the code following the recommendations of the 10th ANTAM Annual Meeting.