President Maithripala Sirisena’s recent 'declaration of war' on powdered milk in the domestic market has once again highlighted his disconnect with his own government’s initiatives.
Addressing a recent public event, President Maithripala Sirisena said powdered milk in the domestic market contained many harmful elements. His remarks were challenged by many parties, including his own Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne who said the government tests had proven that powdered milk had no harmful elements.
However, In May 2018, under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, a joint partnership with the US Department of Agriculture was launched to increase the production and quality of dairy in the country.
The “Market-Oriented Dairy” project is a Rs. 2.2bn (US $14.1mn) venture aimed at training dairy farmers around the country to help increase the quantity and quality of dairy. The project is expected to benefit more than 15,000 farmers, with overall growth of dairy production to increase by 94% in a four year period (ending in 2022).
The entire project is funded through the USDA’s “Food for Progress” program (www.fas.usda.gov/programs/
To date, there has been no mention of this ongoing project by the President, despite his promise to increase domestic production in the dairy sector. In fact, the President has failed to present his own plan to reduce the demand for powdered milk which, according to the Health Minister, amounts to nearly 90% of the local market.
