Maha Mega Uyana:

Setting new standards

Dry Zone dairy industry development:

The Maha Mega Uyana Livestock Development Farm, a major component of the dry zone dairy industry development project conceived by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) and funded by Exetel Private Limited of Sydney, Australia had an official foundation laying ceremony recently at Moragaha Ulpotha in Wilgamuwa.

The Chief Guest was the Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon.

The main objective of the Exetel supported SLWCS dairy development effort is to develop a project that would contribute to resolving human elephant conflict by developing dry zone dairy to benefit both elephants and people.

Cattle and elephants do not have conflicts and will share resources in harmony, thus the goal is to develop appropriate management systems and sustainable technologies such as improved breeding, better husbandry, and rangeland and pasture management so that both cattle and elephants can continue to share resources.

The SLWCS hopes to achieve these goals and objectives by establishing a model dairy project that consists of a nucleus breeding, dry zone pasture management and sustainable technology development programs.

The Society will work in partnership and consultation with the Farm Animal Production and Health Department and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the University of Peradeniya, the National Livestock Development Board, the Department of Animal Health and Production, the Engineering and Electronic Communications Laboratory of the University of Moratuwa and other various local and national government institutions.

The Minister and the other dignitaries after the laying of the foundation stone participated in planting CO3 grass to initiate the projects pasture development program.

The welcome address was given by the SLWCS Farms Project Manager, Samantha Mirandu who outlined the aims and goals of the dairy project.

Ravi Corea, the President of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society gave an overview of the drawbacks and obstacles that hampered the development of the dry zone dairy industry in Sri Lanka.

He stressed that these challenges had to be overcome and that was one of the main objectives of the SLWCS dairy project.

The Minister commended the SLWCS for the pioneering work the Society has done to alleviate the socioeconomic standards of marginalized communities whose livelihoods were threatened by escalating human elephant conflicts by providing them strategies to minimize their losses.

The Government Veterinary Surgeon of Dambulla, Dr. H.M.R.U.B. Herath in his speech spoke about the subsidy programs the government was offering as incentives for farmers to adapt livestock farming and how the SLWCS project would further enable them to become successful dairy farmers.