Milco records healthy forecast:

Milk collecting expedited in North and East

by P.Krishnaswamy

Milco (Pvt) Ltd is working towards catering to the nation’s requirement of milk and milk-related products with the lofty objective of producing a healthy future generation and making the country self-sufficient in dairy products. The company is rising from strength to strength having recorded Rs. 1.04 billion sales in the first three quarter of the current year. There has been a tremendous increase in milk production and the forecast for this year up to end December is around 70 million litres which is nearly a 25 percent increase as against last year’s 55 million litres, Milco Chairman Sunil Wickramasinghe told the Sunday Observer. The production that was 225,000 litres per day two years ago was increased to 500,000 litres per day at present, he said.

The conflict-ravaged Northern and Eastern provinces have now been encompassed under the milk collecting network of the ‘Milco’. Many of the dry zone areas such as Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Ampara and Batticaloa have been recorded as the highest milk producing areas. Over 2,000 dairy farmers of Mullaitivu, Mallavi, Oddusuddan and Kilinochchi in the Northern province have been enrolled under the milk collecting network of the Milco for giving milk through farmer societies, Wickramasinghe said.

Improving the standard of living of the farmers is also an objective of the Milco and the price offered to the farmers for litre of milk was increased from Rs. 32 to Rs. 50. The total 55,000 farmers throughout the country have been immensely benefited by the price increase and, especially dairy farming has contributed to the economic welfare of the plantation community. Milk production among the plantation people considerably increased after increasing the storage facilities and installation of mini coolers, Wickramsinghe said.

A big step forward to strengthen the dairy farmers that is now being initiated by Minister of Livestock Development and Rural Community Development Arumugam Thondaman, is handing over of the Chilling Centres to many of the farmer societies of the total 2,200 farmer societies in the country.

On achieving self-sufficiency in the year 2016, the country will save a staggering US $ 400 million per year which could be utilised for further improving the dairy farming sector. Last year’s import of 84,000 tonnes of milk products cost the national coffers Rs. 30 billion, the Milco Chairman said.

The government has arranged to import 2,500 hybrid Friesian cows from Australia as part of the measures to increase the present herd in Sri Lanka and increase milk production.

Milco has now introduced to the market a fat free, sugar free Yoghurt which has high nutritious value. The condensed milk ‘milk mite’ produced by Milco measures to international standards.

Other products under the brand name ‘Highland’ such as pasteurised milk, sterilised milk, yoghurt, curd, butter, ghee, processed cheese, ice cream, milk powder and UHT milk also have a demand in the market. The UHT milk is becoming popular by the day. Ice Cream production this year has increased by 15 percent. The factories at Ambewela, Polonnaruwa and Digana will be modernised to increase the storing capacity up to 700,000 litres, Wickramasinghe said.

Milco has introduced several welfare measures in respect of its 1,470 employees, including insurance cover up to Rs. 125,000 on medical expenses, enhanced payments for critical illnesses also covering overseas treatment, the Milco Chairman said. COLA was increased by Rs. 15,000, he said.