Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to vest the powers to the Finance Minister to study the matter and take necessary action to ensure that sufficient stocks of milk powder are supplied to the local market by revising the existing tax rates or taking other appropriate measures to import milk powder without increasing the price of milk powder in the local market.
Responding to a question by a journalist at this week’s cabinet media conference held today at the Government Information Department, Co-cabinet Spokesman Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that as a country, with all the resources to produce the total milk requirement of the country, still the country is producing around 40 percent of the total requirement.
So we have to import milk powder to fulfill the remaining 60 percent milk requirement of the country till the local milk production meets the total demand of the country.
“Country’s milk production previously remained as 20 – 25 percent of the total requirement and but now it has increased up to 40 percent since certain private-sector companies now have come forward to manufacture liquid milk locally and also engage in the manufacturing of value-added milk products such as yogurt, cheese, and icecream,” he added.
