A group of 19 dairy farmers from Sri Lanka will travel to India for specialised training aimed at improving milk production, dairy farm management and livestock productivity.
The farmers are scheduled to leave for India on August 16 and will undergo training at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Anand, Gujarat. Ahead of their departure, the participants met Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Namal Karunaratne.
The programme is being fully funded by the Government of India and is designed to expose Sri Lankan dairy farmers to India’s experience in building a large and organised dairy ecosystem.
During the programme, participants will also get an opportunity to observe the operations of Amul (GCMMF), one of the world’s leading dairy cooperative organisations. The visit is expected to provide practical insights into cooperative dairy operations, milk procurement, processing and value-chain development.
Training will focus on the use of technology to improve milk production, modern dairy farm management, livestock nutrition, development of efficient dairy value chains and government support mechanisms for the sector.
The 19 farmers have been selected from different parts of Sri Lanka to ensure wider geographical representation.
The initiative is expected to help participants apply relevant practices and knowledge gained in India to improve productivity and farm-level dairy operations in Sri Lanka.
India has also agreed to extend similar training opportunities to additional groups of Sri Lankan dairy farmers in subsequent phases, increasing the reach of the programme and strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the dairy sector.