Dairy farmers benefit from US grant

Lakshmi de Silva

Over 4,000 dairy farmers in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara Districts will benefit from a grant fund of Rs 365 million from the United States Agency for International Development, Nation Building Ministry Secretary W.K.K. Kumarasiri told the Daily News yesterday.

Though the grant is provided to the CIC Agri Business Private Limited as a joint venture, through this project the farmers would be able to increase milk production and improve their nutrition in addition to their income, he said.

Through this dairy development program the Nation Building Ministry targets 45 percent of women participation while the CIC will arrange marketing facilities. This public/private partnership would increase the socio-economic conditions according to the Mahinda Chinthana policy, Kumarasiri asserted.

At present there is a milk processing plant at Punani which has a capacity of 5,000 litres per day, but with the increase of milk production the processing capacity would be improved to 25,000 litres per day. The factory already produces yoghurt, ice cream and curd, the Secretary said. The Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development Ministry facilitates and coordinates the dairy program in the Eastern Province while the CIC company would provide inputs, animals and animal feed to farmers to enhance their production.