Nestlé Lanka empowers Jaffna further with new milk chilling centre in Urumpirai

Monday, 31 October 2016 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Asoka Kuruppu, Nestlé Agricultural Services Manager; Dr. T. Prabakaran, Veterinary Surgeon of Kopai; Nagalingam Vethanayahan, Government Agent of Jaffna; Rohit Mittal, Nestlé Vice President - Technical and Bandula Egodage, Nestlé Assistant Vice President – Corporate Affairs and Communications opening the new milk chilling centre in Urumpirai

In its efforts to help Sri Lanka reach self-sufficiency in dairy, Nestlé Lanka marked a new milestone in its local dairy development initiatives by opening another new milk chilling centre in Jaffna, in the presence of Government Agent of Jaffna Nagalingam Vethanayahan and Nestlé officials.

The new milk chilling centre in Urumpirai will enable the farmers in the area to preserve the quality and freshness of their milk, collecting only the excess amount after meeting the needs of the farming families. The new facility will be equipped with high quality testing equipment and farmers will be paid for the quality of milk they provide – the higher the quality, the higher the price they will receive. This will encourage them to produce more milk of better quality.

Nestlé is Sri Lanka’s largest private sector collector of fresh milk, procuring milk from close to 20,000 dairy farmers daily, to manufacture its products like Nespray, Milo and Milkmaid.

The company has played an active role in developing the local dairy sector since the early 1980s, working closely with the local government and farmers over the years to help increase local fresh milk production and help the country become self-sufficient in fresh milk.

“Over the years, we have made intense and determined efforts to procure maximum quantities of fresh milk from the North to help develop the area,” said Nestlé Managing Director Shivani Hegde. “We remain committed to sourcing fresh milk locally and will continue to provide local consumers with high quality dairy based products, enhancing the quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. With the opening of this new milk chilling centre in Urumpirai, we hope to not only increase the supply and quality of milk of our famers in the North but also provide them a livelihood that is sustainable.”

Nestlé also conducts extensive farmer training and development programs; sharing technical expertise and best practices on cattle feeding and breeding, animal health and farm management and quality assurance. In addition to promoting artificial insemination for breeding high-yield cows, it also provides vital equipment and medicine, and financial assistance to develop dairy farms.

“I want to offer my sincere thanks to Nestlé for the commendable work carried out to develop the dairy industry in the Northern region and thereby positively impacting the livelihoods of our farmers. They have continuously worked towards the development of our farmers through training and development initiatives and technical assistance. I wish the company all the very best in their endeavours and request the local farming community in Urumpirai to make maximum usage of this new milk chilling centre in providing the nation with fresh, locally sourced milk for consumption,” said Nagalingam Vethanayahan.