Milk production drops 50% as flood destroys cattle in Battlicaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 February 2011, 03:36 GMT]
Milk production in Batticaloa district dropped by more than 50% as nearly 250,000 cattle were killed and owners of at least 28 cattle farms in the Batticaloa District were directly affected by the recent two major floods in December last year and in January this year, according to District Animal Production and Health Assistant Director Dr. Mallika Amirthalingam. Livelihood of those involved in rearing catte has been badly affected by the floods, the official added.

More than 42,000 heads of buffaloes and cows, about 28,000 goats and over 100,000 domestic fowl were among the destroyed, she added.

Cattle farm owners have requested that they should be paid compensation to restart their farms and demanded that all existing loans obtained through public and private sector banks to develop their industry should be cancelled.

They also demanded that cattle of good breed should be provided to them under a subsidy scheme.

Cattle farm owneres further said that during the forcible occupation of Paduwankarai area in Batticaloa district in 2007, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers had killed cattle in large number for their consumption and for sale, and that loss had not been compensated yet by the Colombo government.

Animal Husbandry Minister Arumugan Thondaman held several conferences to uplift the cattle farming in the district. But no progress has been made, according to owners of cattle farms.