Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (DLMI), the leading dairy company in Malaysia officially established a strategic partnership with the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia (DVS), signaling collaborative efforts between Malaysia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to boost our nation’s supply of quality local fresh milk and to achieve a fully sustainable milk supply for the future.

DLMI Managing Director, Mr. Tarang Gupta exchanged documents of the Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with Director-General of DVS, Yang Hormat Dato’ Dr. Norlizan Bin Mohd Noor in a ceremony held today at DLMI’s manufacturing plant in Petaling Jaya and witnessed by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) YB Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald Kiandee together with the Deputy Head of Mission of The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Malaysia, Mrs. Eva-Oskam.

This significant collaboration is a milestone as Malaysia is aiming for 100 per cent Self-Sufficiency Level (SSL) for local fresh milk production by 2025 as part of the National Dairy Industry Development Programme, which is currently at 62 percent according to statistics by DVS for year 2020.

“With our 58-year presence in Malaysia, we are well-positioned to be the conduit between Malaysia and The Netherlands to facilitate knowledge transfer to create a successful, sustainable dairy sector in the country,” Tarang said.

He added that the Dutch dairy industry has achieved its strong competitive international position based on high standards for technology and quality, which DLMI is happy to share with Malaysia.

The collaboration will involve DLMI’s Dairy Development Programme (DDP) and also its Farmer2Farmer (F2F) Programme as the ideal platform for Malaysia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to partner to achieve the goal of self-sufficient fresh milk supply to meet the growing need of Malaysian consumers.

DLMI’s DDP, introduced in 2008 and the F2F Programme debuted in 2013 are two major dairy development initiatives by DLMI with strong support from DVS, MAFI and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Malaysia. DLMI is the first and only dairy company in Malaysia to actively initiate, lead and develop the DDP.

The objective of the MoC today is to collaborate in activities to achieve sustainable dairy cattle farming, which involves the participation of local dairy farmers in the DDP with the aim of enhancing the quality and volume of cattle raw milk in Malaysia.

The initiative will encompass the exchange and sharing of resources, facilities, data, knowledge and skills in their respective areas of expertise and experience to ensure commercial and strategic advantages that are in the best interest of the participants.

The F2F Programme focuses on good farming management and administration (sustainability and profitability), good milking/handling practices, effective feed and nutritional programme for cattle, monitoring methods, good breeding, and fertility programme, with a particular emphasis on hygiene management and learning the essential elements in ensuring quality milk and also increasing the volume of local raw fresh milk.

“As the largest purchaser of local fresh milk from DVS milk collection centres in Malaysia, DLMI is committed to helping local dairy smallholders to increase their yield and milk quality, including making dairy farming a steady and growing income source for our vendors,” said Tarang Gupta.

Tarang added that DLMI was grateful for the opportunity to work with DVS, MAFI and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands over the years - to help identify the farmers from both countries who could benefit from this cooperation, as well as to facilitate the processes to make it work.

“It is a rare and unique opportunity for our Malaysian farmers to be exposed to the best practices by Dutch farmers, whose dairy farming tradition dates back 150 years. This also opens up the opportunity to boost agropreneurship amongst Malaysians, particularly youths,” said YH Dato’ Dr. Norlizan.

“This continuous effort via the F2F Programme aligns perfectly with the Government’s target to lessen Malaysia’s dependency on imported fresh milk and to be self-sufficient by 2025. The programme will also aid DVS’s efforts in the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases and boost food production from animal-based products,” he concluded.

This content is provided by Neruda Communications.

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