The National Livestock Development Board (NLDB), established in 1973, is mandated to contribute to the development of the country’s livestock and poultry sector while playing a pioneer role in introducing livestock breeds management system technologies and providing various other services such as knowledge sharing and research. 

In an interview with The Sunday Morning Business, NLDB Chairman Dr. B.C.S. Perera noted that the board was currently being transformed, according to the perspective of the new Government, to be a much more effective, productive, and efficient Government institute when working towards its prime objectives.

Following are excerpts:

What steps are currently being taken by the NLDB to ensure high standards within the country’s farms?

The NLDB is the largest Government institute catering to the livestock industry. The board owns 32 large livestock and poultry farms scattered around the country, including four in the upcountry region, four in the mid-country region, 16 in the coconut triangle, and 18 in the dry zone. In addition, the poultry breeder farm Mahaweli Livestock Enterprises Ltd. also comes under the NLDB’s responsibility.

These 32 farms are scattered all over the country encompassing various livestock categories such as dairy, poultry, sheep, and goat farms. We manage a large swine nucleus farm which, despite being the biggest in the country, had to be closed down temporarily due to the recent African swine flu outbreak.

The NLDB also aims to establish buffalo breeder farms. One large-scale buffalo farm in Marandawila will be transformed to a farm for Murrah-type breeds. At the same time, another buffalo breeder farm will be established in Nikaweratiya, which will also function as a multiplier farm for buffalo breeding. This outlines the current situation regarding our dairy breeder farms.

We operate several poultry breeder farms as well. One layer breeder farm is located in Marawila and it currently supplies approximately 15% of the country’s total requirement for layer chicks.  Further, we have three broiler breeder farms – one each in Mawatta, Miriswatta, and Karandagolla.

At the same time, we also manage breeder farms for goats and sheep. This year, we have taken all measures to establish a new goat breeder farm in Bopaththalawa and import high-quality breeding materials. 

Although we have a very large sheep population, estimated at around 7,000, the industry itself is not adequately developed, well-managed, or organised within the country. Hence, establishing a proper breeder farm for sheep is a key priority. Our focus will now be on enhancing the breeding materials for both sheep and goats as well. 

As mentioned earlier, the swine industry is currently facing a crisis due to African swine fever. We were compelled to close certain swine nucleus farms. At present, we have only one remaining commercial swine farm. 

Once the situation stabilises, we will be able to restart our breeding programmes in this vital sector, as a substantial service was provided through these, pioneering the distribution of breeding materials to stakeholders.

What are the new initiatives taken in order to ensure progress within the NLDB? 

Our main objective relates to the issue of quality breeding materials of all kinds of livestock and poultry to the nation. Since we manage large farms in order to maximise the utility of this large extent of land, we produce and sell hygienic and quality dairy and other livestock products such as fresh milk including UHT milk, yoghurt, curd, drinking yoghurt, ghee, etc. 

For dissemination of knowledge, we have two training centres. In addition, all our farms comply with biosecurity measures and are open to stakeholders and others to have formal and informal training in the industry. Many livestock educational centres including universities share our farm lands for training and research purposes, as well as for the purpose of introducing modern technology innovation, etc. 

The NLDB’s primary objective through the network of these farms is to facilitate the widespread distribution of breeding materials to other dairy farms across the country. Unfortunately, for various reasons, this feat has not been achieved successfully yet. 

Although we manage numerous farms, the distribution of breeding materials has been conducted to a lesser extent than it should have been and it has not adequately met the country’s needs over the past 50 years. Therefore, our current target is to establish proper breeder farms, through which we hope to significantly increase the distribution of animals across the country.

As a new approach, after having evaluated feasibility, the board designated a specific sector of farms to be developed categorically as breeder farms. We have three main dairy breeder farms located in the upcountry region. One is in Bopaththalawa, which will accompany the Menikpalama Farm and be transformed into a breeder farm specifically to produce Holstein Friesian breeds for the country. 

There is a dairy farm in Dayagama, which is to be transformed to a breeder farm to produce Jersey cattle. The Sahiwal, a cattle breed well adapted to tropical climates, is being bred in the Nikaweratiya Farm. Sahiwal cattle can be effectively distributed to farms in the dry and intermediate zones. 

The poultry industry is vast and requires significant technological improvements. There are several breeder farms under the private sector that are large-scale providers. The NLDB maintains our own farms to provide crucial support to small- and medium-scale poultry farmers, whose livelihoods are often directly dependent on this industry. 

Our policies consider the needs of low-income individuals and strive to ensure a balanced income distribution within the sector. The NLDB is committed to developing the poultry breeder farms further with the intention of reliably supplying breeding materials to these small- and medium-scale farmers. Moreover, during periods of poultry industry crises, our farms will be strategically positioned to intervene and help stabilise the poultry industry.  

You have pointed out that these industries are not well developed in the country. What do you observe as the reasons for this lack of development and what kind of involvement is needed from stakeholders or the Government? 

There are modern technical improvement concerns. Also, Sri Lanka only produces approximately 35% of our national milk demand. For meat and other animal products, we largely rely on imports to meet domestic consumption. 

Sri Lanka’s consumption level based on nutritional needs is not satisfactory either. There are animal protein deficiency concerns within the country while malnutrition persists, particularly among children. Hence, evidently, there is a pressing need to increase animal protein consumption across the population.

One major issue significantly affecting this sector is the high cost of production, which prevents the distribution of products at a lower price for consumers. In comparison, India’s cost of production for eggs is significantly less, as the required raw materials are produced within the country. However, Sri Lanka is heavily dependent on imported animal feed, raw materials, and breeding materials. 

Another significant problem encountered is the underutilisation of land. The current Government’s overarching and ambitious target is to increase daily milk production from the present one million litres per day by threefold to three million litres within five years. In order to contribute significantly towards achieving this national goal, the NLDB, with its large-scale farms, aims to produce at least 150,000 litres of milk per day within the next five years.

The NLDB currently manages approximately 28,500 acres of land. The Government’s plan is to utilise every inch of this land for the productivity of the livestock industry. The utility level of this land has been considerably poor, with some portions remaining completely unused. There were even plans with previous regimes to sell these lands to joint ventures with the involvement of foreign countries. 

However, the present Government has an alternative policy to keep the NLDB farms at a productive and commendable state with both the Government and private sector involvement. We now have a vision through which we aim to resolve issues and maximise land use, thereby increasing revenue, while also utilising strategic partnerships with the private sector to improve the dairy and livestock industry. 

For instance, we have large farms in several areas, even spanning 1,500-2,000 acres. These lands are currently highly underutilised and we plan to develop them extensively for dairy and other livestock farming activities. This requires substantial investment as well and the Government is willing to call investors for these lands, engaging in Public-Private Partnerships.   

All these plans will hopefully propel the NLDB as a competent and strong driver in improving the livestock industry within the country, while supporting the country’s revenue growth as well.

How does the NLDB plan to be competitive in the industry to support the Government? What are the main challenges and how will they be tackled?

Our assessment of the farms has revealed several challenges; the major ones include the lack of breeding materials and issues regarding animal feed. These are, in fact, the largest and most widespread problems affecting the dairy industry. To mitigate the nutrition problem, we have initiated extensive pasture cultivation across our farms.

For productivity improvement, there are some investments that need to be completed and cost-cutting measures to be taken. At present, average milk production is around seven litres per cow per day, whereas it should ideally be at least 15 litres. 

This reflects that operational and management practice improvements are required within the farms. These have not been properly addressed and we have started working towards addressing them. The NLDB is also in the process of resolving skilled labour, technology, and machinery issues. 

The Government cannot improve the productivity of the farms in isolation. For the next five years, we expect around Rs. 30 billion to be invested in these farms in order to make it a giant business. About 76% of this investment is expected to originate from the private sector. We will actively invite private investors to partner with us in order to make these farms productive, all while maintaining the Government’s essential oversight and strategic direction.