Vietnam’s dairy farming sector has made remarkable steps in recent years, with both output and product quality increasing steadily, and the success is partly due to such programs as the Dairy Development Program that FrieslandCampina Vietnam has been implementing since 1995.
According to statistics compiled by leading dairy company FrieslandCampina Vietnam, which also buys more than 25 percent of the raw milk produced in the country, the number of dairy farmers did not rise over the past five years but both the cow population and milk output continued to surge.
During the period, while the number of suppliers only increased slightly, the dairy cow population expanded to 27,000 heads, compared to 15,000 in 2004. Milk output more than doubled, reaching over 170 tons per day.
Luu Van Tan, head of the company’s Dairy Development Program, said it was indeed a good trend, proving that the program has contributed to the sustainable development of Vietnam’s dairy farming sector. Local farmers are improving their efficiency and becoming more professional, he said.
All production figures are on the rise. Each farming household now has 11 cows on average, compared to less than seven heads five years ago. Milk output at each household has also surged to 72 kilograms per day from 39.7 kilograms before. These numbers mean dairy farmers have successfully expanded their production and improved productivity at the same time.
The Dairy Development Program, launched in September 1995, aims to assist Vietnamese dairy farmers in developing their production in a sustainable way. FrieslandCampina Vietnam has spent more than US$10 million on the program, and the company is very happy to see that the training and assistance provided for dairy farmers over nearly 15 years has yielded good results.
As a dairy expert with more than 135 years of knowledge and experience, FrieslandCampina has built various modern dairy farming models that are suitable for both local weather conditions and financial capacities of Vietnamese farmers. Famers are trained regularly under the program by more than 70 FrieslandCampina staff members who use practical hands-on training methods.
When farmers have improved their farming activities, FrieslandCampina Vietnam will continue with farm management training so that dairy farmers can improve product quality and expand production, in a more efficient and economical way, hence more profits.
Tran Tuan Kiet, a dairy farmer in the southern province of Binh Duong, said his earnings from dairy farming have increased sharply since he invested more on his cow herd. “I tried to cut unnecessary production costs, rented land to grow grass for the cows and bought animal feed directly from factories,” said Kiet. “Production costs have been lowered by between 10 and 15 percent while milk prices keep increasing thanks to better quality.”
Kiet said now he can earn a profit of VND1,500-2,000 on each kilogram of milk, not to mention five to seven new calves added to his herd every year and revenues from other farming products.
| The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands will pay an official visit to Vietnam from Monday 28 March to Thursday 31 March 2011. They will be accompanied by the Dutch Minister for Agriculture and Foreign Trade Henk Bleker, plus a business delegation representing over 80 Dutch companies. The economic mission focuses on five sectors: water, agriculture, transport and logistics, the maritime sector and oil and gas. The whole delegation will visit both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. During their visit both the official and business delegation will take part in seminars, meetings with the government of Vietnam and company visits that contribute to Vietnamese community in which FrieslandCampina Vietnam is typical through CRS activities Dairy Development Program and Den Dom Dom Program. |
