Govt. to boost local dairy production to overcome shortages

The Government has decided to boost locally produced dairy products, to prevent any shortages in the market.

The Agriculture Ministry said attention has been drawn to producing dairy products such as butter, cheese, milk powder, and yoghurt, following the temporary ban imposed by the Government on the import of 300 products.

The move comes following an industry review meeting chaired by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera with officials of the National Livestock Development Board (NLDB) and the MILCO Ltd.

Noting the shortage of animal feed in the country, the production of liquid milk has dropped by about 34%, and the liquid milk quantities received by the two companies have also reduced considerably.

Taking the facts into consideration, the Agriculture Minister has directed officials to prioritise the production of the most demanded and essential products such as milk powder.

He has also advised officials to promote liquid milk consumption among the public, as it was more nutritious and economical for the consumers and industries.

It was pointed out that producing a kilo of milk powder, requires over four litres of liquid milk.