Pelwatte Dairy celebrates World Milk Day with promise to strive to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient

Friday, 2 June 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

World Milk Day falls on 1 June. First held in 2001 as an initiative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), this day is celebrated internationally and is the perfect opportunity to focus attention on this global food – milk and raise a glass to celebrate the benefits of milk for our lives. This year’s celebrations revolve around the themes of ‘Good food, health and nutrition, farmers’ caring responsibility for their communities, the land, and their animals and how dairy contributes to economic development and livelihoods.

Often the first food that we consume as a child, there’s a reason as to why milk is given such prominence in our lives. It is known to be rich in more than five different essential nutrients that benefit our health. For example, Calcium gives rise to healthy and strong bones and teeth, protein serves as a source of energy, building and repairing muscles and Vitamin B12 maintains healthy red blood cells and nerve tissue. Further, milk is the base for processes to produce other dairy products such as butter, cheese, yoghurt, and cream which have additional benefits and add flavour and variety to the food we consume.

In an industry dominated by foreign brands and foreign importers, Pelwatte Dairy Industries is the first private sector firm to invest in a milk production plant and is in the forefront of promoting self-sufficiency in milk for Sri Lanka. The company stands out as a leading manufacturer of dairy products that are fully produced locally. In foreign imported products, the components and supply chain is unknown. However, Pelwatte prides in ensuring that 100% of the milk used is locally sourced and is 100% organic without any added preservatives to increase shelf-life. This assures that locals are delivered the cream of the cream, the best of the best, the healthiest and the highest quality dairy products.

“If Sri Lanka was self-sufficient in milk once upon a time, then this can be done again. It is simply a matter of concentrating on what we have and channelling funds used for imports to uplift our own farmers and industries. As we celebrates World Milk Day, this is what Pelwatte aspires to do as we deliver Sri Lankans the highest quality dairy products while conserving valuable foreign exchange currently spent on imported dairy products,” said Pelwatte Dairy Managing Director Akmal Wickramanayake.

Being ranked amongst the Most Respected Entities in the country, Pelwatte also ensures that they go beyond mere production of dairy but also plays a major role in boosting the economy of the country. The company places importance in being seen as a value adding partner not just in business but also in social aspirations. By promoting local sources, the company supports over 25,000 farmers from whom about 150,000-200,000 litres of milk is collected daily. Further the company decided to establish its factories in areas such as Buttala and Moneragala which show slow growth in terms of local economies in order to bring about positive change and development in these regions.