IOM boosts buffalo and cattle farms

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 October 2005, 17:01 GMT]
Farmers in Ampara district are rebuilding their cattle and buffalo herds in the wake of the tsunami with assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the NGO said Saturday.

IOM has supplied 65 healthy young bulls to two dairy cooperatives in Ampara “in order to strengthen the cattle and buffalo gene pools.”

“The Pottuvil Dairy Cooperative and the Janasaviya Agricultural Dairy Society received bulls worth more than 1.2 million rupees, which will breed with existing herds to produce greater numbers of healthy calves and higher milk production,” the IOM’s Dr Mazahim Hanifa said.

In addition, veterinary surgeons conducted a series of workshops for members of the dairy cooperatives, to help upgrade local farmers’ knowledge of animal husbandry techniques.

The workshops also covered vital topics such as preventing and treating common health problems in cattle, and hygienic milk production practices.

The project, funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), Greece, and USAID, is part of IOM’s work to help survivors of last December’s tsunami rebuild their means of making a living.

IOM says it is examining the possibility of introducing similar livestock breeding projects in other tsunami affected areas.

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International Organization for Migration