In celebration of its 150th anniversary worldwide and 110 years locally, Nestlé has launched ‘Kiri Govi Diriya’, where 3,000 Sri Lankan dairy farmers will benefit from training and development tools to learn about modern technologies and best practices, and produce more milk of higher quality.
The dairy development programme is the first of a number of public commitments Nestlé is making to the local community to commemorate its anniversaries. Launched at a special event in Anuradhapura together with the Minister of Rural Economic Affairs, Hon. P. Harrison, ‘Kiri Govi Diriya’ commits to 150 training and development programmes for 3,000 dairy farmers, and provides 150 of those farmers with essential milking equipment to help develop their business.
Says Shivani Hegde, Managing Director for Nestlé “Developing Sri Lanka’s dairy industry has always been close to Nestlé’s heart. We want to reaffirm our commitment to our local dairy farmers this year because they have been such a big part of our journey in this country. These special commitments will positively impact the farmers we work with daily, strengthening our efforts to develop the local dairy industry, contribute to its prosperity, and ultimately, enhance our farmers’ quality of life.”
Because Sri Lanka’s dairy industry is still an emerging one, where local milk production does not meet total market demand, Nestlé has been working closely with the authorities since the early 1980’s to help develop it. The company hopes to not only increase the supply and quality of milk but also provide local farmers a livelihood that is sustainable.
In addition to establishing crucial infrastructure like milk collection points and milk chilling centres, Nestlé holds training and development programmes for farmers on a range of technical topics and best practices, including cattle feeding and breeding, and animal health and farm management. It also provides financial assistance to develop dairy farms, promotes artificial insemination for breeding high-yield cows, and facilitates mobile veterinary clinics together with the government.
Nestlé is currently Sri Lanka’s largest private sector collector of fresh milk, offering consumers a range of products made with local fresh milk and providing almost 20,000 dairy farmers and their families a secure livelihood, helping rural communities to thrive and grow. Nestlé’s contribution to the local dairy industry in 2015 for procurement of fresh milk was Rs. 3.6 billion.