A Sri Lankan presidential candidate promises to use his personal fortune to give a cow to every home if he his elected.

"Every Sri Lankan home will be gifted with a high milk-yielding cow from (the Indian state of) Kerala which could be expected to yield 10 liters (2.5 gallons) to 16 liters (four gallons) of milk every day," Victor Hettigoda is quoted as saying by The Island

"Even families who live in flats, who could make suitable arrangements to look after a cow, will receive a gift of cow," he adds.

Hettigoda says his plan is a sure way to fight malnutrition and make people prosper, and suggests that excess milk could be converted into cheese and butter or even exported.

Anusha Vitanapathirana, a spokesman for Hettigoda, confirms the report to The Associated Press.

Hettigoda is one of 13 candidates vying for the nation's top job in the Nov. 17 presidential election. The leading candidates are Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Hettigoda owns an herbal medicine empire, the Siddalepa Group of Companies, with 3,500 employees.