On July 25, 2012, the Department of Plant Protection of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries received laboratory equipment donated by Charles Sturt University in Australia. Support from the university results from collaboration between the Department of Plant Protection and AusAID over the past two years to develop a project named “Disease Management and Spray Application Capacity Building.”

The Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Lourenço Borges Fontes, said that the equipment offered by the university include a refridgerator, freezer,  autoclave and microwave, among other equipment, all intended to diagnose diseases arising in Timor-Leste.

“This is the second time that Charles Sturt University has provided us with equipment. Last year they offered a microscope”, said Lourenço Borges Fontes.