Engro Foods, PSDF Join Hands to Initiate Dairy Project
PAKISTAN - Engro Foods and Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) signed `The Big Push Project' aiming to create an eco-system within the dairy sector where over 9000 farmers were trained in modern animal husbandry practices, with a focus on increasing milk production and incomes.
1 March 2017
2 minute read
To provide complementary services such as health and nutrition, the programme would also train micro entrepreneurs in livestock extension skills, village milk collection skills and artificial insemination skills, a statement Wednesday said.
To create milk potential and enhance skills within the sector, the programme would also train labourers in medium-sized farms as supervisors.
The programme would be implemented in 60 villages across Muzaffargarh, Lodhran, Bahawalpur and Bahwalnagar which had been identified as some of the poorest districts in the country.
It was envisaged that this intervention would result in improvement of milk yield and quality thus benefiting small farmers with better prices and increasing livelihood.
To monitor the impact of this project and to support government policy formulation through evidence based data, PSDF had engaged the Centre of Economic Research Pakistan (CERP), headed by lead academics Dr Asim Khawaja from Harvard University and Dr Ali Cheema from LUMS.
Speaking at the ceremony, CEO Engro Foods Hans Laarakker, a part of the global Dutch giant Royal FrieslandCampina (RFC) said, "We are pleased to enter into this agreement with the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF). When the government, academia and the private sector come together, real progress can be made".
He said dairy development and helping small dairy farmers was a key focus of the company and it ensures its consumers get high quality and nutritious milk.
Source: Business Recorder
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