After undertaking a field visit to the dairy establishments in the Gampaha and Kurunegala districts, the delegation participated in a trade seminar and matchmaking session held under the patronage of Deputy Highways and Investment Promotion Minister Eran Wickramaratne.
The delegation included companies specialising in storage of feed, processing and cooling equipment, technology consultation, renewable energy, agricultural machinery, finance and vocational training and education.
Minister Wickramaratne, stressing on the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary approach to deal with the challenges in the dairy sector, emphasised the requirement to develop the dairy sector to ensure food security of the nation while maximising land use. He said that the Dutch experience could provide useful and relevant input for the Sri Lankan dairy sector.
Ms. Knijff while expressing that Dairy production, 'from grass to glass', is a complex chain of activities that needs an integrated approach, emphasised on the need to develop the sector in a comprehensive way.
Many Dutch farms are still family-based and middle-sized and farmers still remember the days when milk cans were collected daily by the local processing company or cooperative.
The Dutch Ambassador, Louis Piët said, Dairy cooperation between the two countries goes back 40 years and many Sri Lankan professionals have been trained in the Netherlands. This provides a solid basis for renewed engagement.
