Sri Lankan dairy farming gets FAO boost

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is providing technical and financial to the Ministry of Livestock and Rural Community Development (MLRCD) to exploit productivity in dairy cattle in selected districts.
The total project period will be two years starting from September 2014 and the   Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH) will be implementing technological interventions to make the medium scale dairy farming profitable and encompass a promising approach for increased profit margin so as to make dairy farming is sustainable. This will invariably increase the household income and the nutrition of the families.
The overall goal of this project is to make dairying an economically profitable venture exploiting the production potential of the crossbred cattle and buffaloes under a semi-intensive production system and with the specific objective to ensure adequate nutrition of dairy-type crossbreds animals reared in confinement to yield 25% more milk in the total lactation period.
“By raising awareness and introducing appropriate technology we hope to strengthen the capacity of the dairy farmers within Sri Lanka” said an FAO Representative for FAO Sri Lanka.
The project intends to address the following problems encountered by progressive dairy farmers with cross-bred cattle:
• Appropriate alternatives to feed their cattle where free-range grazing is no more possible due to land constraints;
• Lack of knowledge in high nutritional demand in critical stages of growth and production in crossbred cattle; and,
• Lack of knowledge or adequate awareness in appropriate feeding techniques to optimize the utilisation of limited feed resource base.
The project success and sustainability will rely heavily on the participation of and partnership with the provincial administration and beneficiary farmers.
Project activities commenced few weeks back and will continue for a period of two years.