226 dairy farmers are expected to benefit from the implementation of milk price subsidy scheme which has been approved by cabinet after submissions from the acting Minister for Primary Industries Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Sayed-Khaiyum said this scheme is part of a programme to increase self sufficiency by 50 percent in the milk and dairy industry in five years.

He also said that their aim is to boost farm milk production by improving dairy farm infrastructure, farm administration and producing quality dairy products.

The scheme will assist the farmers with a subsidy of 25 cents per litre and according to Sayed-Khaiyum farmers who directly supply milk to Rewa co-operative Dairy Company Limited and have joined the scheme, are to make sure that the subsidy income from the sale of the milk is utilized to improve the farm, which is the condition set by RCDC.

Sayed-Khaiyum added that $2 million was set aside in the budget for the implementation of the scheme.