Mullaitivu’s fresh milk production, a success

Jayasiri Munasinghe in Mullaitivu

The fresh milk production drive launched in Mullaitivu to develop dairy farming and uplift the living standards of resettled families has proved a great success with dairy farmers recording a production of 130,000 litres of cow milk during the first seven months of this year.

This was revealed at a meeting of the District Development Committee held under the chairmanship of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa at the Mullaitivu District Secretariat Sunday.

As part of this livelihood development program for resettled it has been planned to cultivate paddy on 30,000 acres in Mullaitivu District next Maha (2010-2011) and bring another 34,000 acres under subsidiary crops it was also disclosed at this meeting.

Minister Rajapaksa who appreciated the progress achieved so far on this front directed officials to expedite the provision of financial assistance and other urgent requirements needed by the resettled families. He also directed officials to ensure proper irrigation and drinking water facilities to the resettled.

Minister Rajapaksa who directed security sections to expedite the clearance of land and other mines and complete the process before the end of September, thanked state officials, foreign organizations and institutions including NGOs and security services for their support towards expediting the resettlement of displaced persons in the North.

So far 32 tractors, 40 two wheeled (hand) tractors have been distributed among farmer organizations in Mullaitivu which have utilized them to asweddumize 5,165 acres of abandoned paddy lands in the area.

The required spraying machines, agricultural implements, fertilizer and quality planting materials have also been provided to them which had enabled to bring normalcy to the livelihood of the resettled people.

Ministers Douglas Devananda, Patali Champika Ranawaka and P. Dayaratne, Mullaitivu District Secretary S Vedanayagam, Secretary Presidential Task Force on Resettlement, Development and Security in the North S B Divaratne and Presidential Advisor Chandra Fernando were also present.