Old friends - New trends : emerging business opportunities in the dairy sector of Sri Lanka

The government of Sri Lanka has given high priority to the development of the dairy sector in the coming years. The aim is to raise the present self-sufficiency rate of 35 % to 100 % in 2020. Milk production systems will be modernized through the importation of dairy heifers, establishment of large scale farms and support to medium and small scale farms that are willing to invest in more commercial milk production. The collection and processing system is expanding and modernized through the establishment of more chilling centres and processing plants. This offers opportunities also for Dutch companies as inputs are necessary amongst others for collection and processing, breeding, feed and fodder production and data management. The government of Sri Lanka realises the need to improve the knowledge base for dairy production and is investing in dairy training facilities and recruiting and training more extensions officer. The present capacity to implement all the necessary training and education activities needs strengthening.