Flagship project to provide fresh milk for schoolchildren

Irangika RANGE

The Government has embarked on a flagship project of providing fresh milk and milk based products to schoolchildren in a bid to improve the nutritional levels while providing the best price for farmers’ milk. These are major priorities in the Mahinda Chinthana.

Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardana told the Daily News that under this project, necessary measures have been taken to set up Milk Super Centers in schools which would be managed by the School Co-operative Societies (SCS).

The Department of Co-operatives Development which is under the Ministry would provide fresh milk and milk based products to the SCS to be provided to schoolchildren.

He said this project will increase the local milk production by reducing foreign exchange spent on the import of milk powder. It would also increase the value addition of milk products.

We will provide a grant of Rs.200,000 with equipment for milk chilling and freezing to each Milk Super Centre to make this project a success,” the Minister said.

He said Milk Super Centres have already been set up in four schools, St. John’s Boys School, Nugegoda, Rahula Balika Vidyalaya, Malabe, Rajasinghe MMV, Hanwella and Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo.

The Minister said the societies in these schools have achieved the net profit over Rs.20,000 a month.

Profits are expected to be invest for the improvement of the welfare facilities in each school. He said this project would help wean students away from soft drinks. The Ministry has received over 25 requests from schools across the country and this programme is gaining momentum.