USAID celebrates achievements of five-year dairy project

The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) five-year dairy project implemented by the agency in collaboration with the government of the Punjab and Nestle Pakistan for improvement of dairy sector of the Punjab province resulted in 17 percent increase in the average milk yield and over 10 percent boost in income of farmers attached with it.
USAID Mission Director in Pakistan John Groarke revealed this at a ceremony arranged here on Tuesday to mark the completion of this project and to recount its achievements and benefits it transferred to the rural economy, especially dairy sector of the province.
This five-year, $21 million project, promoted sustainable dairy development in Punjab. Through a partnership with the government of Punjab and Nestlé Pakistan, the project improved the lives of over 50,000 small dairy farmers through its skills-based training programs, he added.
The project, also upgraded 118 farms now serving as training hubs for small dairy farmers, installed a pilot 50 cubic meter biogas plant for dairy co-operative milk chillier in Vehari, and constructed a 375 cubic meter biogas plant at the government-owned Bahadurnagar Farm in Okara.
Speaking on this occasion, Punjab Minister for Livestock Asif Saeed Manais appreciated the project for its share in promoting the livestock sector, especially training and teaching the people attached with this profession about latest farm techniques. He said the project helped in upgrading the existing dairy farms and their conversion into training hubs for fellow farmers.
He was happy to note that the role of women, which was very vital for dairy sector, was also given important training on rearing the livestock. He hoped that this would result in women empowerment through dairy development.
The Minister said that the duration of this project should have been enhanced making it accessible to everyone taking it to grass root level. In order to ensure sustainability and to further share knowledge acquired through the project, all training modules, print material and videos have been placed in the libraries of five universities in Punjab. The project's website will continue to be maintained by the DRDF, implementing partner of this project, as will the helpline offering guidance and advice to dairy farmers.
The event featured a theatre performance and a talk-show for the audience. Over 200 representatives from the Punjab Livestock Department, dairy industry, academia, NGOs, beneficiaries, and project staff were in attendance.
Dairy and Rural Development Foundation (DRDF) Chairman Dr Salman Shah, USAID Chief of Party Jakob Moser and others also addressed the event.