Pelwatte forms auxiliary industry to support local dairy farming

An employee preparing the feed for the Cattle

Pelwatte Dairy Industries, Sri Lanka’s leading local dairy producer, is on a renewed mission to produce sufficient forage for the cattle – all year along, despite the season, weather and climate, which usually cause deflects to the produce and affect grazing patterns and milk production capabilities of the cattle. Thereby not only ensuring to meet the domestic milk demand but also uplift the socio-economic status of local dairy farmers, supportive industries and locals.

Pelwatte Industries has now extended its support to several women and youth in the locality to establish their own forage and cattle feed production centres, that is in turn bought by the company and by the registered local dairy farmers who will be able to ensure that the cattle receive the food they need all year along, while also supporting an auxiliary industry in the process.

Pelwatte Dairy Managing Director Akmal Wickramanayke said: “As a local leader, we believe that the most significant components of our value chain are the farmers and their supportive industries. It is for this very reason that we, at Pelwatte Dairy Industries, remain heavily invested in working with and uplifting the lives and work of the dairy farmers and those of the supportive industries with an intense focus on raising the socio-economic standards of these poor communities.”

By providing support services, like the training, PDIL ensures that they create a high-quality raw milk supply chain. This helps the Milk Procurement Personnel to source the highest-quality fresh milk. Since PDIL only uses 100% fresh milk in its product range, this ensures the highest standards in every product.

The company has substantially been sourcing milk from locals following strict guidelines and testing ensuring its quality and hygiene stays intact. This alone has been the livelihood of over 1,000 families around the area with an assurance that all small-scale farmers and private farms will have a guaranteed buyer in them, and that their products will always be competitively priced.

Pelwatte, which strongly believes and invests in capacity building, regularly carries out training programs regarding cattle nutrition. They regularly invite farmers from all parts of the island to visit and undergo training programs. The highly trained farm professionals show the farmers practical usages of various feeds along with nutrition combination using fodder grown in their extensive grasslands.

The high-producing dairy cow requires a diet that supplies the nutrient needs for high milk production. Carbohydrates, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and water are all nutrients required by the lactating dairy cow to meet the demands of the mammary glands in order to produce milk and milk components. However, in order to develop the cow that will produce a high milk yield, it begins with the nutrition of the calf and heifer.

While milk remains the raw material that comes into play in the dairy industry. The resources to be allotted for this alone is an industry of its own. The forage fed to the cattle falls into certain shortages at several times of the year, especially during the dry season, when rainfall will be minimal and lands will be barren and dry.

While the nation’s self-sufficiency in milk production remains the primary mission, Pelwatte Dairy supports farmers, their livelihoods and families in myriad ways – empowering them and steering their growth as well as that of the nation’s. 

Pelwatte, Sri Lanka’s 100% local dairy manufacturer has since its inception been driven by a vision of making this nation self-sufficient in milk, pays special attention to research and development as well. This has helped it to create value for all the stakeholders in the value chain.