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“Sri Lanka to export milk powder to China next year “

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Sri Lanka will achieve self-sufficiency in milk powder next year and create history by launching exports to China, said Chairman Pelwatte Dairy Industries (Pvt) Ltd, Ariyaseela Wickramanayake.

He told Sunday Observer Business that Sri Lanka’s milk powder imports have reduced drastically while local production has increased.

The quantity of milk powder imported in 2019 was 99 million kg, compared to 96 million kg in 2020. The quantity of milk powder imports in 2018 was 98 million kg, marking a drop of five million kg between 2018 and 2019, and a further two million kg drop between 2019 and 2020. The average milk powder import bill is around USD 400 million.

Last year only 12 million kilos were imported which saved around USD 350 million for the country. “This amount has further decreased up to now,” he said.

Wickramanayake, also said that successive governments have to be praised for encouraging more dairy farmers to get involved in the industry by increasing the price of a litre of fresh milk. “This happened four times soon after elections and the prices went up from Rs. 30 in 2005 where the country had around 200 million litres of fresh milk to Rs. 50 per litre and production increased to 250 million litres in 2010.

After the 2015 election the price per litre of liquid milk increased to Rs. 75 and local production increased to 350 million litres and today the total local fresh milk production is around 600 million litres and it is increasing. The farmer gets around Rs. 225 per litre of fresh milk. “Soon Sri Lanka will have a surplus and this is where we will look at exports.”

He said that recently the milk produced by local farmers was in excess of demand and some protested by throwing them on the streets.

“This is the time Pelwatte Dairy Industries stepped in and upped our production capacity and started collecting 150,000 litres of milk per day which was a colossal achievement and a great victory for the daily sector in Sri Lanka.” He said that they are investing around Rs. 1.5 billion and building a factory in Kurunegala and this would be ready by August. This factory will concentrate only on exports.

“When the factory is completed we will increase our local fresh milk intake to 300, 000 litres and then by early next year we will start powdered milk exports to China reversing the trends where Sri Lanka spent huge amounts of money for milk powder imports,” he said.

The company also created another major landmark when a consignment of Pelwatte Ceylon Butter was exported to the Maldives on Friday. “Next we will be exporting Pelwatte Ceylon butter to Japan.”

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2 drownings today

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Two drowning incidents have been reported today (May 13).

In one incident, one person had drowned while 03 others were reported missing while bathing in the sea off Wennappuwa today (May 13).

Police said four persons from Nuwara Eliya were reported missing while sea bathing and that one body was later recovered.

Search operations are continuing.

Meanwhile, two girls who had gone to bathe in the Palukadawala Tank in Galgamuwa, Kurunegala, have also drowned.

The girls, aged 12 and 17 had gone bathing while they were visiting a relative in the area.

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Police assure that belongings of Kotmale accident victims are safe

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Kotmale Police have stated that luggage, mobile phones and other belongings of the passengers on the bus that met with a tragic accident at Gerandi Ella are safe with them/

Kotmale Police OIC Chief Inspector Vajira Ratnayake stated that the villagers who assisted authorities at the time of the accident handed over the passengers’ belongings to the Police.

The OIC also stated that 35 mobile phones, luggage and other valuables have been kept safe at the police station and can be obtained after the identities of the claimants are verified.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the bus conductor’s ticket book and the money he had collected could not be found.

The OIC had also stated that the exact number of passengers on the bus could not be ascertained due to the death of the driver and the fact that the conductor was receiving treatment in hospital.

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PSL 2025 to resume on May 17

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PSL 2025 will resume on May 17, with the final on May 25. The announcement confirms the league will end a week after it was originally scheduled to conclude.

The four remaining group games will take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground, with the playoffs and final in Lahore. Aside from one afternoon game in Rawalpindi – between Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators on 18 May, all fixtures take place at night, with evening games starting at 7:30pm local time.

“HBL PSL X picks up from where it left off,” he wrote in the post,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on X (formerly Twitter). “6 teams, 0 fear. Get ready for 8 thrilling matches starting 17th May, leading up to the Grand Final on 25th May. Best of luck to all the teams!”

The league, which was postponed due to increasing cross-border tensions with India, has eight games left.

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New IPL schedule announced

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