India to fully support revival of Sri Lanka’s livestock sector

The government of India has decided to provide full support to revive the livestock development sector of Sri Lanka, which has collapsed so far.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay extended the support during a recent meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, says the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Indian High Commissioner has also held talks with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera regarding the matter.

Accordingly, the Indian government has agreed to provide high-breed cows to Sri Lanka due to the lack of high-milk-producing cattle breeds on the island.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture mentioned that the manufacturing of dairy and dairy-based products in Sri Lanka has dropped by 19% last year due to the setbacks faced by the industry amidst the economic crisis.

Meanwhile, the country’s maize harvest in the 2021 Maha Season plunged to 90,000 metric tons, leading to a shortage of animal feed in the country, the ministry said further, adding that this was exacerbated as the importation of maize was hindered by the dollar shortage.

However, by the end of 2022, the country managed to import 180,000 metric tons of maize and cultivate 60,000 hectares of maize during this season, the ministry said further.