SMART

INVESTMENTS FOR RAPID AND SUSTAINABLE MILK PRODUCTION IN DRY ZONE

D.V.S. de S Gamage
Former Deputy Director, Veterinary Research Institute – Sri Lanka
Member – National Committee on Livestock, Aquaculture, and Fisheries – Sri Lanka Council for Agriculture Research Policy
1. Introduction
1.1 This report consist information derived from two field surveys, the first include collection of
secondary data from central and provincial government and private sector. Whereas, the second
field survey was to collect data from the farming community, grass root level service providers,
input suppliers and marketing agents. Finally the intervention approaches were developed utilizing
above data and discussed in detail with specialists from respective areas and reviewed and
developed a project for result-oriented implementation that could double the milk production in Dry
Zone within three years.
1.2 The project places priority on ruminant related products especially for milk considering the
importance given in National Development Plan.
1.3 The farming system in the Dry Zone that could produce 61% of the total national milk production
and 65% of the ruminant meat, despite least possible financial and infrastructure support made
available during the past several decades is the major strength. Furthermore, unlike the crop
production sector, only a single subsidy is given by the government in the form of the extension
service. This independence from government subsidies too can be considered as a major strength.
1.4 However, the weaknesses related to low achievements of realization in maximum potential of milk
in the Dry Zone have been identified in prior studies, but the reasons for it have not been clearly
established. Therefore, the approaches have been taken in this study to clearly identify the root
causes of the following issues in view of accomplishing the expected output of the proposed project.
1.4.1 The identification of a very big seasonal variation in production and collection.
1.4.2 Consumer regard it unsuitable to consume liquid milk, as it can be a public health risk due to
a range of shortfalls in the milk chain.
1.4.3 Cattle feed system is constrained with non-availability of arable land, non-utilization of
grazing land and non-availability of irrigation water.
1.4.4 The increase of the crossbred population proportion has created a shortfall in cattle feed.
Inadequate feeding for crossbreds in the Dry Zone can be compared to a Mercedes Benz
running on Kerosene oil.
1.4.5 Most farmers have lost confidence in artificial breeding due to Inadequacies in the current
crossbreeding program. Hence, over eighty percent of the crossbred cattle are mated with
scrap bulls with poor production capabilities.
1.4.6 Non-availability of systems to utilize cattle effluent efficiently and effectively.
1.4.7 Major gap between good practices and current practices in the production, supply and
marketing chains.
1.4.8 Lack of extension services.
1.5 The opportunity of developing Dry Zone livestock sector will initiate a process of reducing the
proportion of rural sector in agriculture employment. However, those coming out of agriculture will

be utilized in employment linked to agriculture. Furthermore, increase in livestock farm sizes can
bring in more opportunities to the rural farming communities.
1.6 Threats to the developed Dry Zone livestock sector is poor transfer of technology required with such
development. However, current attitude towards the livestock sector can be considered a major
threat in moving forward in milk production endeavor.
2. Objectives, Method, and Period
2.1 Objectives: The objective of the current document is to include only the interventions to achieve
self-sufficiency in milk production by 2020. National Plan and Interventions planned in this project
for milk production is addressed in three (3) areas in the National Policy document. They are,
• Utilization of crop residue by ruminants, function of cattle effluent in energy field and to replace
soil nutrients, addresses the land use factor in carbon mitigation.
• In addition to this, use of crop residue to produce ruminant meat and milk increases water
efficiency of irrigated water.
• Finally, quoting from the document “ The main policy objectives of the livestock sector are to
achieve a higher level of self’-reliance in milk and livestock produce, provide them to consumers
at an affordable price for improving their nutritional status and tapping its potential for creation
of employment”.
These interventions will improve the efficiency of natural resources (which are limited) and narrow
huge gaps between attainable and actually attained efficiency with existing technologies unused for
ruminant production, however, being utilized in other areas of production.
3 Present Conditions and Issues in the Survey Areas
3.1 Crop cultivation is their main farming activity of almost all farmers rearing livestock.
3.2 Livestock is their only insurance for crop failure due to drought, floods, market price fluctuations
and during civil unrest.
3.3 Furthermore, livestock is considered for its food security aspects too.
3.4 Dry Zone produces 61% of the total national milk production without much financial outlay and
technical intervention by the government and / or private sector as compared to the Wet Zone
during the past two to three decades.
3.5 Rapid crossbreeding simultaneously increasing the availability of sufficient feed will address the
issues of growth in milk supply and also keeping milk prices at an affordable level. However, increase
in liquid milk consumption could only be achieved through the enhancement in the quality of fresh
milk. Most fresh milk consumed by public derives from the informal sector and they boil milk before
use, hence there is a minimal public health risk contrary to the popular belief. However, this distrust
can directly affect the sale of milk. For that reason, it will be beneficial to the fresh milk trade to take
steps to improve milk quality at different levels of the milk marketing chain
3.6 Furthermore the Dry Zone provides a sizable proportion (65%) of ruminant meat through its very
large indigenous cattle and goat population. These are animals with an adult body weight of 150-
180kg and 20-25kg in cattle and goat respectively. Hence, through crossbreeding a proportion of
these animals, on the one hand more meat could be supplied as the crossbred population will have

an adult body weight of 300-350kg in cattle and 25-30 kg in goats, and on the other a sustainable
conservation of manageable indigenous population could be a necessity.
3.7 Furthermore, Dry Zone supplies 64% and 66% of cattle and goat meat respectively without much
financial outlay and technical intervention by the government or private sector as compared to the
Wet Zone. This is only the legally slaughtered meat supply derived from Census and Statistics data.
3.8 Dry Zone meat production (kg)
Meat Total Meat from Meat from Sold to other Total Meat Percent from
weight (kg) slaughtered Dry zone areas from DZ Dry Zone
Cattle 18,029,194 5,750,352 5,787,007 11,537,359 64.0%
Goat 970,226 616,038 23,835 639,873 66.0%
(Ref: Sunil Gamage 2012)
3.9 Livestock sector hardly get any subsidies as compared to the crop sector that receives subsidies in
the form of fertilizer, irrigation water, marketing information (HARTI), market support (Dedicated
Economic Centers), seed and planting material supply, and extension service subsidy which accounts
to between 6 to 10% of the national GDP.
3.10 The livestock sector is not dependent on Government subsidies but receives only the extension
service as a subsidy can be considered the Cinderella of the Agriculture sector.
3.11 The livestock area consists of cattle, buffalo, goat, swine, broiler and layer chicken, and a sizable
population of native chickens, but cattle rearing is the major income provider.
3.12 Livestock sector enterprises in Sri Lanka includes the Dairy sector – cattle, buffalo and goat, Meat
sector – includes Monogastric (broiler, quail, turkey, and swine) and Ruminant (goat and beef), and
the Egg sector – predominantly chicken, and also quail and duck.
3.13 Even though monogastrics are considered better converters of feed to animal protein, they not
only compete for human edible food but also the cost of producing monogastric meat has increased
due to global demand for these feed stuff, mainly maize and soybean.
3.14 Milk production is predominantly from cattle, Milk from goat is an area yet to be explored in Dry
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Zone. Even though buffalo rearing was the first form of livestock keeping in Sri Lanka, the buffalo
sector growth is hindered by the fact that male buffalo has no economical value. The use of male
buffalo, used for draft in paddy cultivation, is made obsolete by the introduction of mechanization.
3.15 Farming System: Theme is to transform the no-growth context (extensive - subsistence level)
cattle farming to the growth context (Intensive and Semi-intensive livestock management sectors)
cattle farming and finally to the post-growth ( Consumer – food safety) context.
3.15.1 The crop cultivating farmers are busy during the cultivation season, and as a consequence they
neglect feeding cattle.
3.15.2 The production and collection show a very big seasonal variation that has been identified in
prior studies, but the reason/s for it has not been clearly established. Therefore, the approaches
taken in earlier projects have failed to accomplish the expected output. However, this study was
able to pin point the reasons of such fluctuations, and therefore, approaches such as a rapid
increase of the crossbred population proportion and augmenting the availability of feed
throughout the year are interventions supported by specialists.

1
Siriweera W.I., Role of Draught Buffalo in Rural Sri Lanka. Draught Animals in Rural Development. Proceedings of an International Research
Symposium, Cipanas, Indonesia, 3-7 July 1989. Eds D.Hoffman, J.Nari and R.J.Petheram.

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3.15.3 Soil Moisture and Milk Production (Milco data from 2003 to 2009)
190 16%
180 Very dry no rain -
no grass but ... more
14%
Plenty of grass
170
with more rain milk 12%
160 but ... less milk
mm / 60 cm
10%
150
140
8%

6%
130
120 4%

110 2%

100 0%

Wk 42

Wk 46
Wk 48

Wk 52
Wk 2
Wk 4
Wk 6
Wk 8

Wk 12

Wk 16
Wk 18

Wk 22

Wk 26
Wk 28

Wk 32

Wk 36
Wk 38
Wk 40

Wk 44

Wk 50

Wk 10

Wk 14

Wk 20

Wk 24

Wk 30

Wk 34

EP Percent Monthly Milk Collec[on Soil Moisture in Root area in Dry Zone

(Ref: Sunil Gamage 2012)
3.15.4 Feeding calendar of livestock in the Dry Zone
Month Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sep
Land Maha - 100% cultivable land Yala - 55% cultivable land
Activity Rice planting and growing Rice Harvest Rice planting and growing Rice harvest
Cattle
Restricted grazing in uncultivated
movem Village Migration to inaccessible / marginal lands Village
dry crop land
ent
Grazing in
Restricted Grazing in Restricted
Grazing Stubble consumption in overgrazed uncultivated dry
grazing uncultivated moist grazing
area pasture land crop land and water
crop land crop land crop land
shortage
Residue Crop Grass and fodder Crop residue
Crop residue Depleted crop Crop residue
usage residue residue wasted in crop available for
wasted residue wasted
wasted cultivation area consumption
Weeks 40-43 44-47 48-52 1-4 5-8 9-12 13-17 18-21 22-25 26-30 31-34 35-39
(Ref: Sunil Gamage 2012)
3.15.5 The bulk of livestock feed resources comes from grazing poor quality annual and perennial
grasses, crop residue on cropping area during the off-season and overgrazed and rapidly depleting
pasture land during the cropping season. The intensive and semi intensive livestock farmers, they too
graze their cattle tethered in the cropping season.
3.15.6 Furthermore, during this period most animals were restricted in scrub land with very little feed
resources and only a third of milk is produced and collected. A proportion of 86.1% can be estimated
from the total national shortfall due to fluctuation losses occurring in the dry zone, that is responsible
for 60% of the national milk production. If feed resources are available during the cropping season
this loss could have been averted. During the cropping season only a third of milk is produced and
collected, that too is mostly from the intensive and semi-intensive farms.
3.15.7 Livestock production in the Dry Zone a subsistence level farming activity with very low attraction
to the younger generation. However, have the potential to make a great impact.

2
BVR Punyawardena (1998) Assessment of growing seasons characteristics in the Dry zone of Sri Lanka based on stochastic simulation of
rainfall and soil water status. PhD Thesis. Lincoln University. New Zealand.

3.16 Feeds and Feeding: Theme is to establish off-farm rural employment linked to agriculture by
converting underutilized agricultural by products or crop residue to high quality human food in
demand
3.16.1 To equalize the seasonal gap in the availability of the feed, the project enhances the production
of feed made of agriculture by-products which is available at the end of the rainy season and
preserves them for feed during dry season. Crop by-products such as straw is already available in
large quantities are underutilized or not made use. A combined strategy for milk production and
staple crop (rice) productivity growth exploits the close linkage between the two sectors and would
have the strongest income multipliers and entrepreneurial development activities. Rice is the
predominant crop in Sri Lanka, especially in the Dry Zone where just over 650,000 hectares are
grown. Rice cultivation yields 8.75 metric tons of Dry Matter per hectare annually as livestock edible
biomass. This contributes to about 5.53 million tons of paddy straw and this amount is almost 50%
of the total production of crop residue annually. However, commercial utilization of paddy straw can
only be promoted as a good feed resource for ruminants by densifying to facilitate handling in to,
standard bales, high compaction bales, super high density bales, cubes, and pellets as the bulkiness
of paddy straw dictates this process.
3.16.2 Total availability of dry matter (including rice straw and other crop residue) is 5.839 million
metric tons, and the total demand for milking animals only is 1.406 million metric tons.
3.16.3 Availability of Crop residue
Dry zone paddy Dry matter per ha Utilized for soil Available for animal Total availability
Rice straw
cultivation (ha) (M.tons) improvement (%) feed (M.tons) (M.tons)
Maha 650,000 8.75 50% 4.38 2,843,750
Yala 325,000 8.75 35% 3.06 995,313
3,839,063
Other Crop residue – Maize, cowpea, black gram, sweet potato etc 2,000,000
5,839,063
Availability Million M tons 5.839
(Ref: Sunil Gamage 2012)
3.16.4 Increasing competition for arable land by monogastrics, required to produce human food.
3.16.5 Demand for crop reside by milking cows
Dry Zone Livestock Number of Cows Total Body Weight (Kg) - Total Animal Units Total annual DM (Mtons)
number Cows
Cattle 928,070 464,035 122,969,275 491,877 1,082,130
Buffalo 277,700 138,850 36,795,250 147,181 323,798
1,405,928
Demand Million M tons 1.406
(Ref: Sunil Gamage 2012)
3.16.6 Most of the meat consumed in Sri Lanka is from monogastrics – broiler and swine. This has
resulted in a faster growth in this sector during the past three decades. Even though monogastrics
are considered better converters of feed to animal protein, they not only compete for human edible
food but also the cost of producing monogastrics meat has increased due to global demand for
these feed stuff, mainly maize and soybean.

3.16.7 Conversely, ruminants maintained on crop residue do not compete for human edible food, arable
land utilized for human food, irrigated water utilized for human food production and time of
extension staff in human edible food production.
3.16.8 Land use – Dry Zone dry matter availability
No. Area (Sq. Hectares Dry Matter availability (M. % Usage DM availability
Category
Km) tons) possible (M.tons)
1 Paddy 6,529 652,900 5,712,875 50% 3,839,063
2 Un-irrigated highland 3,250 325,000 325,000 40% 130,000
3 Villus 500 50,000 200,000 30% 60,000
4 Herbage from grazing 1200 120,000 120,000 80% 96,000
land
5 Grassland 274 27,400 27,400 60% 16,440
6 Forest 14,507 1,450,700 5,802,800 0% -
7 Sand 210 21,000 - 0% -
8 Scrub 8,866 886,600 1,329,900 20% 265,980
9 Other 4,783 478,300 - 0% -
10 Other field crop residue 2,000,000
Total 45,361 4,536,100 13,517,975 6,407,483
Ref: Sunil Gamage 2012
3.16.9 Dry matter requirement in Dry Zone
Dry Zone herd composition Total Body weight Kg Total body weight (Kg)
Milking 231,741 300 69,522,380
Milk cows
Dry 91,323 300 27,396,969
Cattle Bulls 54,223 350 18,978,215
Heifers 252,385 225 56,786,559
Calves 283,083 125 35,385,416
Milking 60,768 400 24,307,246
Milk cows
Dry 13,773 400 5,509,006
Buffalo Bulls 10,828 450 4,872,644
Heifers 69,387 275 19,081,525
Calves 64,203 175 11,235,509
Goats Adult 148,250 30 4,447,510
Yearlings 64,129 15 961,929
Kids 12,073 8 96,584
Ref: Iwami Orita and Sunil Gamage 2012
• The total body weight is 278,581,492 kg.
• Total Animal Unit is 250 kg.
• Dry Zone TAU number is 1,114,326
• Body maintenance only the Dry Matter requirement per TAU per annum is 2.2 metric tons.
• Total Dry Matter requirement for body maintenance only is 2,451,517 metric tons.
• This is 38.3% of the Dry Matter availability in the Dry Zone, hence other physiological
requirements such as growth, breeding, and milk production can easily be fulfilled by the
total availability (shown in 3.15.11).
3.16.10 The gap between supply and demand of Dry Matter (DM) and TDN (31%) and Crude Protein
(58%) due to low availability of good quality roughages to ruminants.
3.17 Environment Pollution: Theme is to reduce emission of green house gas and to prevent loss of
plant nutrients
3.17.1 Open burning of crop residue, especially paddy straw following grain harvest is practiced in Sri
Lanka for its cost-effective method of disposing residue, convenience, and also for mitigating rice
diseases and weeds in succeeding crop cycle.

3.17.2 However, biomass burning has drawn global concerns and it leads to, release of particulates
causing human health problems, emission of greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide, methane and
nitrous oxide causing global warming, loss of plant nutrients such as N,P, K and S, adverse impact on
soil properties, wastage of valuable carbon and energy rich residues and finally depriving livestock
sufficient dry matter intake.( Mahinda Chintana – Vision for the Future. Chapter 7.1 Environment
page 156).
3.17.3 Biomass burning is one of the noteworthy global cause of atmospheric aerosols and trace gas
emissions, which have a main influence on climate and human health. The quantity released by
this activity alone has been estimated by several research groups.
“ Average annual biomass
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burning emissions as calculated by our model
were 2.5 PgC year -1 over the 1997 – 2004 period. The dominant
contributors were Africa (49%), South America (13%), Equatorial Asia (11%),
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boreal region (9%), and Australia (6%)” (van der Werf et al 2006)
3.18 Crossbreeding: The Theme is rapid increase in crossbred cattle population
3.18.1 The Dry Zone has more of the local or indigenous type cattle, these are acclimatized to the harsh
dry condition. They could withstand shortages of feed up to 75% of regular feed intake. They are
the main supply of meat and also is the foundation stock for crossbreeding with Indian types prior
to introducing European blood. The cattle population crosses shown below.
3.18.2 Crossbred cattle population
Type DZ – NCP,NWP,EP & UP SabP, SP, CP and WP
European crosses 15.3% 51.1%
Indian crosses 17.7% 16.4%
Local types 67.0% 32.5%
Sunil Gamage 2012

3.18.3 Dry zone can maintain a much larger crossbred population with efficient use of crop residue,
however these areas are dominated by indigenous types mainly reared for meat purpose.
3.18.4 The average production per cow per day in the Dry Zone is 1.91 liters, whereas in other areas it is
3.47 liters. Simultaneously with the improvement of feeding, a rapid breeding program to
increase crossbreds with milk producing trait will have a bigger impact.
3.18.5 Replacement of dairy cows is a product of several breeding strategies that includes artificial
breeding and natural breeding. Artificial breeding incorporates artificial insemination (AI) or in some
cases oestrus synchronization followed by Artificial Insemination (Timed Artificial Insemination - TAI)
in some selected farms, whereas natural breeding is with good quality studs from rearing and
supplying program of crossbred stud bulls. However, in the dry zone artificial breeding is lacking due
to various reasons, furthermore the farmers resort to breed their stock using scrap animals with

3 -1
PgC yr is petagram of carbon per year , a petagram is a billion metric tons – “to put this in perspective, think about a train of railroad goods
wagon full of coal. One such wagon will hold 100 metric tons coal which is about 80% carbon. If the carriage is 60 feet long (including the
couplings) then a train hauling one petagram of carbon as coal would have to be about 156,500 miles long.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Association- US Department of Commerce. www.pmel.noaa.gov/CO2
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G.R.van der Werf, J.T.Randerson, L.Giglio, G.J.Colatz, P.S.Kasibhatla and A.F.Arellano Jr. (2006) International Variation in Global biomass
burning emissions from1997-2004. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 6, 3423-3441

poor production abilities. The current practice is to breed animals only through AI by AI technicians.
The flaws in this process can be seen by the number of AIs required for one pregnancy (3:1). The
reasons for this primarily feeding, then the knowledge on heat detection by the farmer, time
duration, mobility, availability of staff, skills of AI technician and the quality of semen.
Hence, most farmers resort to utilize scrap animals to prevent any interruption to the milk supply.
Milk production commences after a pregnancy and a calving. Consequently, in the short run this is
the most productive way of getting a reliable milk supply. But the subsequent generations may not
give a yield as much as their mothers.