New milk production venture
Economic Development Minister, Basil Rajapaksa stressed the need to
entertain massive scale investment projects to upkeep the principles of
Mahinda Chintana as an agriculture based nation and added that the
Livestock Production Centre - 'Petro Lanka' - at Banduragoda, Mirigama
was an incentive in that pathway.
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Minister
Rajapaksa at the Petro Lanka Farm |
Minister Rajapaksa opened the Centre initiated with an investment of
Rs 20 million by a Sri Lankan expatriate employee, Lokitha Karawita who
served as a Doha-Qatar Petroleum Corporation Construction Engineer.
He commended the massive personal investment towards the country by
this patriotic Sri Lankan. Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director
of the newly established centre, Lokitha Karawita who named the centre
as "Petro Lanka" over his affiliation with the petroleum sector in Qatar
said that Sri Lanka could be made the miracle of Asia if all Sri Lankans
worked with patriotism and commitment.
Karawita has invested Rs 20 million for the phase of this milk
producing venture to increase the capacity of local production.
The milk production of the country at present stands low and this BoI
approved project of 'Petro Lanka' will produce an additional 150,000
liters in the milk grid. It is expected to increase the production upto
400,000 liters in the near future under a phased out program. This new
project will generate twenty direct and 40 indirect employment
opportunities located on a 17 hectare land.
Sri Lanka incurs an expenditure of Rs 17 billion annually on
importation of milk foods to the country to meet the demand.
The expansion of the milk producing sector would generate
self-employment opportunities and minimize heavy exchange flowing out of
the country.
Present on the occasion were Livestock Resources and Rural Resources
Minister, Arumugam Thondaman, Livestock Development Board, Chairman
Ranjith Ellegama and Petro Lanka Director Mahinda Liyanage.
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