|
Fledgling dairy industry faces big challenges
“Introducing Vietnam’s diary industry to the overseas community ” was the topic of a workshop held in Hanoi on Apr. 23 by the International Dairy Federation (IDF), the UN Food and Agriculture Orgnaisation (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
According to Hoang Kim Giao, Director of MARD’s Department for Livestock Production, Vietnam’s dairy sector needs to link up with overseas countries and the IDF to ensure its sustainable development. A national dairy committee should also be set up to represent the dairy sector, establish relations with external contacts and cooperate with producers to purchase, process and market the country’s milk-based products.
The committee will also hold workshops, give guidance to farmers and help advertise milk products in the domestic and overseas markets.
FAO representative in Vietnam Andrew Speedy, stressed that Vietnamese dairy producers can promote international ties by providing information on developments in the dairy industry and conducting seminars and meetings, while strictly observing international regulations on safety and hygiene for milk and milk products.
Many experts have said that Vietnam has no tradition of dairy farming and breeding dairy cows is still very new to farmers.
Vietnam has worked out a 10-year development plan for the dairy sector with the target of raising milk output from 64,000 tonnes in 2001 to 350,000 tonnes by 2010.
However, the dairy sector remains underdeveloped and represents only 22-24 percent of the country’s agricultural production value while its total output can meet about 20 percent of domestic demands.
The sector still lacks experienced managers, uses sub-standard safety equipment and needs a standardised management system.
vietnamplus
|
