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Sunday Nov 24, 2024
Friday, 22 November 2019 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A cluster of private companies and vocational education institutes in the Netherlands have formally joined forces to facilitate the establishment of a Dairy Training Centre in Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya and Sri Lanka Association of Animal Production (SLAAP).
All parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 22nd, 2019 in presence of Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Tanja Gonggrijp, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Vice Chancellor Professor Upul B. Dissanayake, and SLAAP President Ajith H. Gunasekera.
The Memorandum of Understanding is an important step to develop and establish a self-sustaining Dairy Training Centre in Sri Lanka, based on practical dairy farming and integrated in an educational and training environment to strengthen educational structures on (higher) vocational levels.
The proposed Dairy Training Centre will provide an accredited work-based learning path that will lead to recognised practical, hands-on skills, both locally and internationally. Hence, the planned Dairy Training Centre will contribute to further development of the dairy sector in Sri Lanka. It will reduce the vulnerability of local farmers by strengthening the fundamentals of their dairy operation.
Growing consumption of fresh milk and dairy products is fetching important nutritional benefits to large segments of the population of Sri Lanka. Following this increasing consumption, the demand for well-trained employees in the dairy sector is also growing. On the path of achieving self-sufficiency in milk production in Sri Lanka, practical professional skills in dairy farms and processing plants are in high demand. Further, new knowledge and skills are required to ensure sustainability in particular feed and waste.
