The Hub team in Sri Lanka has held a successful stakeholder meeting in Kandy to discuss poultry production and distribution network (PDN) maps developed for the three sub-sectors in the national poultry industry: broiler, layer and backyard. PDNs represent the networks of people involved in farming and selling chickens, including farmers, middlemen, traders, market stall holders, and slaughterers. The meeting also provided the opportunity for the team to share project updates and future plans with 60 attendees representing these sub-sectors.

Participants included the Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, the Director General of the Department of Animal Production and Health, the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Hub members and other stakeholders either affiliated to the Department of Animal Production and Health and the University of Peradeniya, or who participated in the research.

Professor Ruwani Kalupahana, Hub National Coordinator, introduced the meeting. Professor M.D. Lamawansa, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya and the event’s Chief Guest, gave an opening speech on the important contribution of veterinarians in mitigating the current global pandemic.

Dr Hemali Kothalawala, Director General of the Department of Animal Production and Health, and Professor Anil Pushpakumara, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science – both Guests of Honour – presented on the role and contributions of their respective departments to the Hub activities.

Finally, Hub co-investigators Dr Dilan Satharasinghe and Dr Poornika Seelagama presented on the research conducted to map poultry value chains. This was followed by group discussions with participants in the room and online. Participants were assigned to three groups representing the three sub-sectors investigated in the research. Experts in each concluded that the proposed maps are a helpful representation of the respective markets.