Handing over of vaccines took place under the patronage of Minister of Agriculture Lal Kantha and Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne under the National Post-Disaster Emergency Vaccination Program
Handing over of vaccines related to the National Post-Disaster Emergency Vaccination Programme, which is being implemented with the aim of controlling the severe disruption and epidemic disease conditions that arose in the livestock sector following Cyclone Ditwah, was held yesterday (20th) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation.
This occasion was held under the patronage of Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Mr. K.D. Lal Kantha and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Mr. Namal Karunaratne and on behalf of the Ministry, the relevant stock of vaccines was received by Additional Secretary for Livestock Development Dr. Sisira Piyasiri and Director General of the Department of Animal Production and Health Dr. Sanchika Perera.
Due to the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, severe damage was caused to the livestock sector across the island and it became necessary to face a series of serious challenges including the spread of epidemic diseases among animals and the emergence of animal health problems, the destruction of grasslands and the resulting shortage of animal feed and damage to farm infrastructure and loss of animals. As a result of this, domestic milk production declined and dairy farming families lost their sources of income, which also caused a serious threat to the country’s overall food security.
In order to respond to this emergency situation, steps were taken to provide relief to farmers through the emergency response component of the “Integrated Rurban Development and Climate Resilience Project”, which is being implemented through the intervention of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation and with World Bank support.
This national vaccination programme has been formulated to safeguard the health status of the animal population by suppressing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), which are spreading rapidly among animals in the face of disaster conditions.
Under the technical guidance of the Department of Animal Production and Health, this programme is successfully implemented island-wide jointly by the provincial Departments of Animal Production and Health. The inaugural ceremony of this national effort was held on February 7th at the Thirappane Animal Breeding Centre.
Extensive discussions were also held on the National Dairy Production Programme (Dairy Hub), which is scheduled to be implemented from 2026 to 2030. Matters discussed included increasing domestic milk production threefold and transforming local dairy farmers into successful dairy entrepreneurs and developing infrastructure and starting new farms targeting 5,035 livestock farms across the island. Since the extent of land is limited, attention is focused on increasing production efficiency using existing resources rather than allocating new land. In addition, steps will be taken to resolve issues related to breeding, disease, nutrition and the non-adoption of new technology.”
Furthermore, the Ministers were also informed on this occasion about the shortage of officers and the inadequacy of vehicle facilities in implementing the programme at the provincial level.
Speaking on this occasion, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Mr. K.D. Lal Kantha stated that the government is prepared to make policy decisions and to allocate necessary provisions for them. The Minister further emphasized that the responsibility of successfully implementing those policies at the ground level and achieving the relevant targets lies with the state officials.
