Baladna and IFC Collaborate on Rebuilding Syria's Dairy Sector

Baladna Food Industries, headquartered in Doha, Qatar, is collaborating with the International Finance Corp. (IFC), a branch of the World Bank, to support the revitalization of Syria's dairy sector. This project aims to assess the potential for rebuilding a sustainable and investment-ready dairy value chain in Syria, focusing on food security, rural livelihoods, and job creation.

The initiative will involve comprehensive evaluations of Syria's milk production capacity, consolidation opportunities, and logistics bottlenecks. Compliance with environmental and social standards will also be examined. The project adopts a phased approach, beginning with analytical and field-based studies.

According to Marek Warzywoda, CEO of Baladna, this effort requires "patience, discipline, and a willingness to start with fundamentals.” The aim is to restore domestic dairy production to support nutrition and create jobs in one of the world's most food-insecure countries.

Furthermore, the collaboration will explore reintegration strategies for small and medium-sized dairy farmers into structured and commercially viable supply chains. Wagner Albuquerque, IFC's regional director for manufacturing and agri-business, emphasized the importance of building resilient, inclusive value chains, highlighting the role of private-sector investments in challenging markets.

In addition to the Syrian project, Baladna is also involved in a dairy project in Algeria, where it plans to ship around 30,000 dairy cows from the United States over a ten-month period. This is part of a larger $3.5 billion initiative to boost local powdered milk production in Algeria, with contracts worth $635 million already signed.