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Sunday Dec 22, 2024
Wednesday, 30 September 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Government relief programs will be introduced to boost dairy production in the country, the Presidential Task Force for Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation yesterday stated.
According to a statement issued by the Task Force, the programs aim at increasing the number of dairy farmers in the country in the coming years. This is in addition to the small to medium dairy farmers that contribute to 85% of the current yield.
While State-owned land cannot be released to private organisations, the Task Force, which is headed by Basil Rajapaksa, suggested the establishment of joint projects. Rajapaksa added that he would request unused cultivable land for the use of the project as opposed to land managed by State institutions.
However, State-owned land will be provided for the cultivation of maize and grass, which will be used as animal feed in dry and cold climate zones.
The statement added that investors who meet land requirements for dairy farms will be given priority, with nine plantation companies already agreeing to the proposal. According to the Task Force, the remarks were made during a discussion held yesterday between Rajapaksa and investors. The previous day, Rajapaksa attended an observation tour of the Watawala Dairy Farm, which has over 1,000 dairy cows and produces 17,000 litres of milk a day.
The farm was established with cattle brought down to the country through the Divineguma Project and special technical processes are used to produce the daily animal feed requirement of 27,000 kilograms of maize.
