The All Island Dairy Association (AIDA) urges the government to remove restrictions on land and water utilization for forage crops to increase the quantity and quality of milk production.
All Island Dairy Association delegation led by its Nishantha Jayasooriya met with Minister of Agriculture, Mahindananda Aluthgamage recently.
The Association made a detailed presentation on the identified gaps in the sector with regard to the lack of animal feed and nutrients and the necessitate development of fodder cultivation in the country to the Minister.
“Restrictions on land and water utilization for forage crops is seen as a serious limiting factor to meet the nutritional demands of the dairy cows to increase the quantity and quality of milk production. Therefore, support is required through a policy for the industry to include animal feed crops as approved crops and permitting access to land and irrigation for these crops,” the Association stated.
During the discussion Jayasooriya handed over the proposal on Fodder crop cultivation in Sri Lanka to the Minister Aluthgamage.
The Minister also expressed his views on uplifting the dairy sector should be accelerated with a shared vision of public and private sector.
Jayasooriya highlighted that there is general consensus on the problems of high-quality fodder production and on the solutions, however he noted that there is little coordination to implement these solutions. Therefore, he opined that country a holistic approach is required to mitigate the challenges in improving the availability of animal feed.