Empowering dairy farmers on best practices | Daily News

Empowering dairy farmers on best practices

Pelwatte Dairy Industries Limited continues to empower dairy farmers amidst the economic challenges through a series of designated training and knowledge sharing schemes with the hope of keeping up to its commitment of enriching lives, in the scope of also uplifting self-sufficiency and supporting in an increase in higher milk yield.

The training programmes held at the training center in Buttala following strict health guidelines covered avenues from fodder care, feeds and nutrients, disease prevention and control, breeding and husbandry, clean milk production, handling to storage and transportation, giving dairy farmers a holistic and comprehensive perspective into the extensions.

The sessions were conducted by local and international experts, presenting farmers the opportunity to empower themselves to increase the productivity and quality of their produce. The company hopes to empower farmers to specialise in their jobs and give them the essential skills required to manage and run a business of their own.

Commenting on the progress of the programmes thus far, Pelwatte Dairy’s Managing Director Akmal Wickramanayake said: “Pelwatte is happy to be a major stakeholder in this cause that would enrich our dairy farmers’ pool of 10,000 families and beyond progressively. We hope that the techniques, tips and mechanisms will increase their overall productivity in the produce and ensure quality in the milk and overall growth in their lives, especially helping these farmers and supportive industries during these times”.

Sharing his appreciation to the partners and organisations who supported this cause, he further added “I am thankful to the organisations who have been supportive in making these projects successful, I hope that we would be able to support and enrich several other communities owing to our commitment and vision thereby making Sri Lanka a self-sustained economy.”

Through these measures, Pelwatte hopes to signal, herald and inculcate the best practices and methodologies from around the world to our local farmers, decreasing costs and increasing efficiency.

“We are not engaging in dairy farmer training and knowledge merely with a transactional notion, rather we factor for these requirements in our annual budgeting itself,” added Wickramanayake, further strengthening the ultimate motive is to empower lives.

This aligns to the company’s vision is farfetched from the ideologies of financial gain but more on towards serving back to the nation.

- AN