Danish Expertise Drives Green Dairy Initiative in Bangladesh to Cut Emissions and Boost Farmer Incomes by 30%
Source: The DairyNews
Dhaka: In an ambitious move to revolutionize the dairy industry in Bangladesh, the Danida Green Business Partnership under the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched the “Green Dairy Partnership in Bangladesh – creating a sustainable and productive dairy value chain model in Southwest Bangladesh.” This EUR 3.4 million project, kicked off last week in Dhaka, aims to pioneer a green, sustainable, and commercially viable dairy business.
The initiative targets a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 30% increase in income for 10,000 farmer households, with the potential to scale up to 50,000 farmers.
Key partners in this innovative project include Arla Foods, PRAN Dairy, Solidaridad Network Asia, IDRN-Bangladesh Agricultural University, SEGES Innovation, and The Danish Agriculture & Food Council. The project aims to ensure that 80% of the targeted farmers are women, enhancing gender inclusivity in the agricultural sector.
The project focuses on streamlining milk collection and processing in Southwest Bangladesh while introducing sustainably produced dairy products to the market. By leveraging Danish expertise in sustainable dairy farming from Arla Foods and SEGES Innovation, the project will assist PRAN Dairy in improving efficiency and sustainability. Central to this effort is Arla’s ‘Big5’ concept, which encompasses feed efficiency, feed balance, animal robustness, manure handling, and efficient land use. These five levers, validated through extensive data from Arla Foods’ 8,000 farmer owners, are expected to deliver 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions, with an additional 5% achieved through process optimization in energy, food waste, and packaging.
Bangladesh, with its population of approximately 175 million, produces 10.2 million tons of milk annually from 1.6 million farms, averaging 4.8 liters per cow per day. The current CO2e emission stands at 3.52 kg per kg of milk, compared to Arla’s 1.08 kg CO2e per kg of milk from European farms. This project, managed by Solidaridad Network Asia, with PRAN Dairy as the key commercial partner, aims to demonstrate a sustainable and economically viable model for the dairy industry in Bangladesh.
Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Chairman & CEO, PRAN-RFL Group:
“We are delighted to be a central player in this transformative project. PRAN Dairy is dedicated to collaborating with dairy farmers across Bangladesh to build a sustainable and productive dairy value chain. We are providing training on feed efficiency, feed balance, animal robustness, manure handling, and efficient land use to enhance productivity.”
Selim Reza Hasan, Country Manager, Solidaridad Network Asia:
“Bangladesh is progressing towards becoming a middle-income country, necessitating safe and sustainable food production. The ‘Green Dairy Partnership project’ is creating a business case for farmers and the private sector to produce and supply quality, carbon-neutral milk.”
Irene Quist Mortensen, Head of International Sustainability, Arla Foods:
“Arla Foods is proud to have initiated this project, reflecting our commitment to a more efficient and sustainable dairy value chain in Bangladesh. Sharing our dairy farming expertise globally is crucial to our mission of shaping the future of dairy.”
Ninna Westphael, Head of Cattle, SEGES Innovation:
“We cannot tackle climate challenges alone. SEGES Innovation is proud to share our extensive experience in dairy production capacity building to reduce the global climate impact of food production while enhancing Danish trade opportunities.”
Mathias Sandholt Knauf, Advisor, Danish Agriculture & Food Council:
“With the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, producing more food while reducing environmental impact is essential. International collaboration is key, and we are honored to contribute to a more sustainable and resource-efficient dairy value chain in Bangladesh.”
Key partners in this innovative project include Arla Foods, PRAN Dairy, Solidaridad Network Asia, IDRN-Bangladesh Agricultural University, SEGES Innovation, and The Danish Agriculture & Food Council. The project aims to ensure that 80% of the targeted farmers are women, enhancing gender inclusivity in the agricultural sector.
The project focuses on streamlining milk collection and processing in Southwest Bangladesh while introducing sustainably produced dairy products to the market. By leveraging Danish expertise in sustainable dairy farming from Arla Foods and SEGES Innovation, the project will assist PRAN Dairy in improving efficiency and sustainability. Central to this effort is Arla’s ‘Big5’ concept, which encompasses feed efficiency, feed balance, animal robustness, manure handling, and efficient land use. These five levers, validated through extensive data from Arla Foods’ 8,000 farmer owners, are expected to deliver 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions, with an additional 5% achieved through process optimization in energy, food waste, and packaging.
Bangladesh, with its population of approximately 175 million, produces 10.2 million tons of milk annually from 1.6 million farms, averaging 4.8 liters per cow per day. The current CO2e emission stands at 3.52 kg per kg of milk, compared to Arla’s 1.08 kg CO2e per kg of milk from European farms. This project, managed by Solidaridad Network Asia, with PRAN Dairy as the key commercial partner, aims to demonstrate a sustainable and economically viable model for the dairy industry in Bangladesh.
Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Chairman & CEO, PRAN-RFL Group:
“We are delighted to be a central player in this transformative project. PRAN Dairy is dedicated to collaborating with dairy farmers across Bangladesh to build a sustainable and productive dairy value chain. We are providing training on feed efficiency, feed balance, animal robustness, manure handling, and efficient land use to enhance productivity.”
Selim Reza Hasan, Country Manager, Solidaridad Network Asia:
“Bangladesh is progressing towards becoming a middle-income country, necessitating safe and sustainable food production. The ‘Green Dairy Partnership project’ is creating a business case for farmers and the private sector to produce and supply quality, carbon-neutral milk.”
Irene Quist Mortensen, Head of International Sustainability, Arla Foods:
“Arla Foods is proud to have initiated this project, reflecting our commitment to a more efficient and sustainable dairy value chain in Bangladesh. Sharing our dairy farming expertise globally is crucial to our mission of shaping the future of dairy.”
Ninna Westphael, Head of Cattle, SEGES Innovation:
“We cannot tackle climate challenges alone. SEGES Innovation is proud to share our extensive experience in dairy production capacity building to reduce the global climate impact of food production while enhancing Danish trade opportunities.”
Mathias Sandholt Knauf, Advisor, Danish Agriculture & Food Council:
“With the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, producing more food while reducing environmental impact is essential. International collaboration is key, and we are honored to contribute to a more sustainable and resource-efficient dairy value chain in Bangladesh.”
