In a bid to boost the local dairy industry, the government has decided to increase the purchasing price of one litre of liquid milk, Agriculture Minister P Harrison said.
The Minister made this observation participating in an awareness programme for dairy farmers conducted recently in Anuradhapura by Market-Oriented Dairy (MOD) Project, based in Sri Lanka, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
According to the minister the decision to increase liquid milk purchasing price had been taken after considering the financial difficulties face by dairy farmers due to the increase of the prices of nutritious cattle feed and drugs.
“With the increase of local milk production, we would be able to save nearly Rs 40,000 million annually spends for the importation of milk powder.” said the Minister.
A special hotline number 6162 – ‘Saviya’ was introduced at the occasion in order to provide immediate solutions for the issues face by dairy farmers.
USDA Project Director Ridi Elsman, MOD Project Director, Matthew Krause, Department of Animal Production and Health Director General K.D. Ariyapala also participated on this occasion.