Sri Lanka to put up training center to boost knowledge in dairy farming
Sri Lanka has reportedly launched a training center to boost the country’s dairy farming industry by improving knowledge under a project backed by the Netherlands.
The Netherlands has one of the most advanced dairy farming and processing industries in the world.
“In the Netherlands, agricultural education has taken our small country from one of the subsistence farmers to one of the largest agricultural exporter in the world,” Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka Tanja Gonggrijp has been quoted as saying at the launch of the training centre.
Sri Lanka Association of Animal Production (SLAAP), a group of private firms, the University of Peradeniya backed by the Netherlands had reportedly teamed up to set up the vocational training center in dairy production.
“The Dutch embassy did many analyses to better understand the emerging opportunities in the Sri Lankan dairy sector,” Nishan Dissanayake, Senior Policy Advisor of Agriculture at the Dutch embassy in Colombo has said.
“And our analysis is that the dairy sector needs more learning.”
The Dairy Training Center is to offer a qualified work-based learning path featuring recognised practical, hands-on skills, both locally and internationally with short-term courses and full-time courses certified by a partner university of the initiative.
The memorandum of understanding to set up the Dairy Training Centre was signed with the participation of Upul Dissanayake, the Vice Chancellor of University of Peradeniya, the President of SLAAP, Ajith Gunasekera and the coordinator of Sri Lanka Dutch Dairy solutions, Jan Jeronimus.
According to reports, the center will have a dairy farming complex with 125-150 cows; a processing plant, machine storage, bunker, silos and manure storage for a standard farming business.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is working towards becoming self sustained in dairy milk. Authorities have carried out many development programmes targeting the upliftment of the dairy milk industry. This has resulted in the expansion of business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s dairy industry.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20191127/Z_1 |