Saviya

This service aims to enhance the livelihoods of small-scale dairy farmers by improving their production capacity, quality of milk produced and health of livestock. The service is provided in partnership with the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) who aims to advance sustainable growth in Sri Lanka’s dairy sector by supporting farmers and related enterprises through the Market Oriented Dairy (MOD) Project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ‘Food for Progress’ initiative. The knowledge service’s content is provided by the subject-matter experts of the MOD Project and reviewed by the Department of Animal Health and Production (DAPH) of Sri Lanka.

Dairy is the most important sub-sector in the Sri Lankan livestock industry, yet currently the country can meet only about 30 to 40 percent of fresh milk demand locally. While Sri Lanka is largely self-sufficient in terms of most animal products, it is increasingly dependent on international suppliers to meet the growing demand for dairy products by local consumers. While the MOD Project is aiming to enhance the capacities of over 5,000 dairy farmers to improve the quantity and quality of locally produced milk, the lack of access to relevant information continues to be a prominent issue affecting over 332,335 of Sri Lanka’s dairy farmers. Saviya addresses this information gap by providing accurate and relevant dairy information on best practices, dairy management, cattle feeding and calf management which are then sent straight to the farmer’s mobile phone and customized according to their individual requirements, animal’s development stages with access to other relevant information such as good nutrition and disease prevention. This service supports the existing extension efforts by DAPH, Provincial DAPHs and Dairy Processing Companies, by enabling a broader reach by providing registered dairy entrepreneurs and farmers with time bound technical messages linked to the lactation cycle of animals from pregnancy to calving.

Registration Process

Simply Dial 6162 from any Dialog phone and follow the instructions to provide language, and other information..