September 16, 2004

Vietnamese Province See Good Results In Dairy Industry

In the first half of this year, Tuyen Quang province in Vietnam sold more than 1,700 tons of fresh milk to the Vietnam Milk Corporation. Although it is still a pilot project, the local fresh milk has found a market, thereby encouraging the province to invest in dairy cows and making it the key provincial agricultural industry.

According to the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province has more than 3,800 dairy cows and 900 beef cows which all have been imported from Australia. Seven enterprises which are involved in raising cows are selecting good breeding stock to transfer to other enterprises and farmers in the province.

The Phu Lam Centre for cattle breeding in the Yen Son district has been in operation for just one-and-a-half years. But it has become the province's centre for raising and cross-breeding dairy and beef cattle. The centre has put into operation a Sweden automatic milking line at the cost of more than VND16 billion to insure the quality of the milk. In the region, the centre provides milk and cattle for the market while farmers provide feed for the cattle.

The recent establishment of dairy farms has created a substantial demand for dairy feed and each farm is now able to earn more than VND50 million a year. The industry director of the Phu Lam Center, Nguyen Tho Lai said, "We grow corn for the cows in 70 hectares. In addition, we have handed land over to farmers at the Na Hang Power Plant, where they have resettled and are now growing grass for cows. We also buy all the grass grown by any farmers which provides them with additional income. "

With its initial success, Tuyen Quang province is working on a plan to increase the number of dairy cows throughout the province. "From now till 2010, we hope to increase the provincial herd to 10,000," Phan Van Tuyen, the Deputy Director of the Tuyen Quang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

"We also plan to set up a milk processing factory. With a herd of more than 10,000 cows, we expect to produce 30,000 tons of milk a year. The development of the dairy industry will greatly contribute to the province's income as well as create more jobs for farmers, thus helping them reduce their impoverished situation."