A group of 25 veterinary doctors and animal husbandry officers from Sri Lanka have begun a tour of Kerala to study the State's initiatives in dairy farming.
The delegation, led by Hiteki Saito, Chief Adviser, Feeding and Dairy Management, Department of Animal Production and Health, is scheduled to visit the high-tech farm established by the Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB) at Kulathupuzha. The team will also visit the bull semen station at Mattupatty, the progeny testing units at Mavelikara, the KLDB training centre at Muvattupuzha, artificial insemination centres, and small dairy farms.
The members called on Minister for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry K.P. Mohanan at his official residence here on Tuesday morning. Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Manoj Kumar, Director R. Vijayakumar and KLDB Managing Director Ani S. Das were present on the occasion.
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During its five-day tour, the delegation will interact with veterinary and animal husbandry experts in Kerala. The members will also undergo training at the KLDB international training centre, Mattupatty.
Mr. Das said the primary objective of the tour was to observe the functioning of the high-tech dairy farm at Kulathupuzha and the Milk City project involving satellite farms. The island nation, he said, was looking to equip its small dairy farms with modern technology for profitable operations.
“They chose to visit Kerala because the high-tech farm at Kulathupuzha adheres to standards followed by European countries that have made great strides in organised dairy farming. With such a facility in a neighbouring country, Kerala was a natural option.”
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The team will also study the scientific feeding and breeding techniques adopted by Kerala. The delegation is looking to replicate the technology-assisted dairy farming methods to improve the quality of livestock and make dairy farming profitable.