New Zealand pursues options for supporting Sri Lanka’s dairy sector
View(s):The New Zealand Government is pursuing options to support the development of Sri Lanka’s dairy sector, on the back of the negative impact its biggest dairy company Fonterra encountered here and abroad last year over contamination issues.
Recently a delegation from the New Zealand government visited the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce for discussion and options being explored included, training the dairy farmers and officials and helping universities build up their capacities to train and educate students on the dairy sector, the chamber said on Monday.
Delegation and Chamber officials at the discussion.
The delegation included Tiffany Babington and Rebecca Williams from the International Development Group of New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner for India and Sri Lanka, Michael Appleton; and Senaka Silva, Consul General for New Zealand in Sri Lanka.
The delegation, who met the Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Harin Malwatte, said the proposed support will be made under the Dairy Cooperation Arrangement signed by Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister GL Peiris and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully late last year.
The visiting officials said the dairy cooperation arrangement is focusing on helping Sri Lanka improve the entire supply chain of Sri Lanka’s dairy sector. Mutual Exchange programmes between Sri Lankan and the New Zealand dairy industry are also being explored. Several dairy sector firms operating in the country, such as Lanka Milk Foods, Lucky Lanka Group of Companies, Nestle Lanka PLC, Richlife Dairies Limited, Cargills (Ceylon) PLC, met with the New Zealand officials at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce last week.
Fonterra has been grappling with contamination issues in various aspects of its production cycle over the past two years, drawing a lot of global and Sri Lanka media attention.