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DIMO Plantseeds introduces ‘Veera’ to uplift the local dairy industry

01 Oct 2021

DIMO, constantly striving to play a significant role in the local agricultural sector as a productivity improvement partner for farmers to enhance their household income, introduces “Veera”, a hybrid silage maise seed variety to the Sri Lankan market through its subsidiary Plantseeds, with an aim to uplift the local dairy industry. Veera produces healthy plants that can be fed to dairy cows to improve their milk production and is an ideal solution for the shortage of animal feed in the industry. Plantseeds is a provider of hybrid seeds in the local market; including watermelon hybrid seeds category and being the second largest seed paddy supplier to the nation. This new maise variety will assist dairy farmers in providing a healthy diet for their animals and improving the quality of the milk production, as dairy cows require a diet that supplies the adequate nutritional requirement to yield a higher output. While the large-scale dairy farmers are able to feed their cows various kinds of forages which lead to considerable productivity levels, there are a number of farmers who are currently solely practicing the free grazing method. As an economical solution, Veera will assist the farmers to reach the maximum milk production potential of their animals.  Sri Lanka’s dairy industry has tremendous potential to contribute to the country’s economic development. According to the Department of Census and Statistics, the country's current annual cow milk production has reached up to 400 million liters since 2015. “We believe that the industry needs to focus more on nutritional animal feed and increase the supply base to improve the productivity of the dairy sector in Sri Lanka. Identifying this dire need, DIMO Plantseeds took the initiative to introduce Veera to the local market”, stated DIMO Agribusinesses COO Priyanga Dematawa. Companies who are concentrating on silage production are able to easily cultivate Veera variety, targeting Sri Lanka’s dairy farmers on a mass-scale. The small-scale dairy farmers can also grow this variety on their own lands to feed their cattle as an economical solution.  DIMO Plantseeds Deputy General Manager Hemal Atapattu stated: “We see more entrepreneurs foray into the dairy business. A plant of this variety is used as cattle feed and with its high resistance to any weather condition, entrepreneurs who seek new income avenues can grow this variety in dry zone areas where one can find an ample number of lands for farming, to successfully meet the animal feed demand in the dairy industry. Plantseeds also expects to collaborate with these entrepreneurs to facilitate them with the technical know-how on cultivating Veera for commercial silage production.” Veera is a high yielding forage maise variety which provides 80 tonnes per hectare and can be harvested within 75-80 days after seeding at milk ripening stage. Veera is also the only maise seed variety that has been approved by Veterinary Research Institute in Sri Lanka.  With its high resistance to pests and extreme weather conditions, Veera can be cultivated in any geographical area. This variety comes with high nutritive values such as 9.02% of crude protein, 67.92% of fibre-NDF, 4332.79 of total energy calories per gram, and 28% of fibre-ADF. Furthermore, DIMO Plantseeds is a strong maise seed partner of local farmers in all categories, such as field corn, sweet corn, and local hybrid seed maise.  DIMO, further expanding its diverse business portfolio, ventured into the field of agriculture a few years ago, with the vision of introducing futuristic products and solutions for the local agriculture sector through its agriculture arm DIMO Agribusinesses. DIMO Agribusinesses strives by its motto of “The Next Generation Agriculture” by transforming Sri Lanka’s conventional agriculture into a modern high-tech industry while making a positive difference in the livelihoods of the communities.


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