France is ready to accelerate Sri Lanka’s s dairy development projects with the active involvement of the private sector.
New French Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jean Francois Pactet said France is keen to expedite proposed dairy projects to enhance milk production in Sri Lanka, when he called on Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Temple Trees in Colombo recently.
Prime Minister’s Office said the Ambassador also stressed the need for Sri Lanka to increase exports to France to further balance bilateral trade. Key exports from Sri Lanka to France are apparel, fisheries products, pneumatic rubber tires, liquid coconut milk and tea.
The Prime Minister said more French investors should enter into new areas of investment such as fisheries, agriculture, information technology, renewable energy, electronics and tourism.
He thanked the Ambassador for the support extended to Sri Lanka to overcome current economic crisis, especially for the support and goodwill of the French Government in its capacity as the Chair of the Paris Club.
They also discussed strengthening cooperation in maritime security, education, information technology and agriculture.
Prime Minister Gunawardena thanked the French government for assistance provided to universities for French language studies.
Meanwhile Pelwatte Dairy, the leading local dairy brand in Sri Lanka that produces a range of dairy goods and saves valuable foreign exchange, is also assisting farmer welfare.
In its efforts to give back to its farmer community base and uplift it, especially given the economic hardships they presently face, Pelwatte is embarking on an innovative project of collaboration to fulfill a diverse array of farmer family needs.
Pelwatte Managing Director Akmal Wickramanayake said: “In our latest initiative to serve our 10,000 strong dairy farmer community, we have obtained the membership of the Smallholder Agribusiness Partnership Program (SAPP), a small scale agribusiness partnership program implemented with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Agriculture.
SAPP aims to help 10,000 dairy farmers from eight districts – Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Kurunegala, Monaragala, Polonnaruwa, Badulla, Ampara, and Puttalam – to improve their commercial partnerships, access to finance, technical know-how, agriculture mechanization and sustainable practices.
“The current economic situation in the country has impacted the dairy farming community strongly. Still, we at Pelwatte ensure production of dairy at the best quality.
Pelwatte inaugurated the SAPP Grants Ceremony at the Kekirawa milk collection centre auditorium with the participation of the Smallholder Agribusiness Partnership Program (SAPP) and the Market Oriented Dairy (MOD) program.
