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| Sunday, 02 April 2006 |
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Sharp increase in milk production last year by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi The quantity of fresh milk supplied by the milk farmers and the milk farmer management societies to Milco Limited increased sharply last year. This shows the increasing confidence and good relationship between the milk farmers and Milco Limited, a fully owned government company. At present 120,000 litres of milk are being collected daily by the Milco company. According to Baratha Dodankotuwa Chairman of Milco Limited which comes under the Ministry of Estate Infrastructure and Livestock Development, the demand for Milco products has also increased sharply during the last few years. The Milco company on the instructions of C. B. Ratnayaka, the Minister in charge of the Milco company has ordered milk processing and related machinery from Europe to improve the production capacity of the main Milco factories at Ambewela, Digana and Narahenpita. "The freshness, purity and international standard are the salient features of our milk products under the brand name "Highland". The only milk powder which is processed and marketed in Sri Lanka within ten days from the fresh milk stage is "Highland" milk powder. 'Highland' milk powder is factory fresh milk available in Sri Lanka. The fresh milk collected by the Ambewela milk processing factory, goes for production on the collection day itself, the Chairman said. "Our milk products such as yoghurt, curd, butter and ice cream are also fresh. Last year, the Milco company was awarded the ISO 9001 certification and therefore all our products carry the international quality standard, he said. Chairman Dodankotuwa, a University don by profession explaining the national responsibility said that their objective is to build a healthy nation and make the country self-sufficient in milk. He said a new era of Milco dawned in 2004 and an organisation having links with the day to day lives of thousands of milk farmers and small scale traders must work with utmost national responsibility. The Milco company celebrated its silver jubilee recently. One-hundred-and-thirty-six employees who had completed 25 years' service were felicitated at a ceremony at the Youth Services Council at Maharagama. According to the Chairman it is expected to double production and operational activities within five years. In order to save Rs. 12 billion in foreign exchange annually to import milk powder the Milco company will implement a series of programs to educate milk farmers and milk farmer management societies to step up fresh milk production. To meet the increasing demand and the expansion of the factories, the marketing network of Milco will also be expanded. |
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