May 17, 2016

Global Dairy Congress 2016: Sustainable and efficient dairy productions in Asia 

"Happy cows make happy farmers," Dr. John Moran, director of Profitable Dairy Systems, remarked during a panel discussion in the first main session of the Global Dairy Congress in Singapore.

The upbeat comment underscores the importance of sustainability in dairy farming for the long run. In Dr. Moran's view, communication of technical knowledge to farmers is a vital component to move Asian dairy industries forward through better production methods.

Members of the panel - including Gennady Volchek, founder and CEO of Authenticateit, Geoff Walker, chief of party for Bangladesh Dairy Enhancement Project Land O' Lake, and Dr. Chandrakiran N. Sant, dairy advisor of Cattle Nutrition & Management, also considered the issue of greenhouse gas emissions with the expansion of dairy farming.

According to Walker, in some countries, specifically India, growth seemed to be characterised by the numbers of cattle rather than the rate of productivity. The problem, he opined, is "not the cow" but the farmer. Hence, education is needed to help raise production efficiency in farms.

Another challenge is using the right cows in certain regions. Dr. Moran sees climate as the biggest factor as dairy cows from temperate environments struggle to perform in tropical regions like Southeast Asia. It would thus benefit Asia if advanced industries are able to provide heat-tolerant animals to the market, Grace Jagmoc Cenas, administrator of the Philippines' National Dairy Authority, suggested.

However, in the case of the Philippines, establishing the domestic dairy sector to be self-sufficient in producing fresh milk appears to be a difficult task. This is because importing milk, compared to making it locally, is actually cheaper, Cenas said. On the flipside, the country could become less dependent on overseas orders when local production improves. Moreover, Asian industries could facilitate cheaper milk productions through skill developments to enhance efficiency, according to Dr. Moran. Best industry practices therefore boost product sales, without simply relying on price adjustment, Volchek added.

Adequate dairy production and supply will furthermore support national milk programmes which are implemented in Thailand and more recently, the Philippines. Milk plays a crucial role in human physical development, and a lack of such could stunt growth as Walker referred to affected children in Bangladesh. Mitigating this complication calls for the calibration of trade policies to not just farmers' interests but consumers as well, he stated.

The panel discussion was preceded by presentations conducted by officials from Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar, each representatives offering an insight of the respective countries' dairy industries.