PRAN Dairy signs deal with ACDI/VOCA for dairy development

PRAN Dairy Limited and US-based international organization ACDI/VOCA have signed a deal to strengthen dairy development in Southern Bangladesh.

They signed the deal to help the dairy sector in the Southern districts under the USAID-funded ‘Feed the Future Bangladesh Nutrition programme’ run by ACDI/VOCA, PRAN said in a statement.

PRAN Group Managing Director Eleash Mridha and Chief of Party of the project Muhammad Nurul Amin Siddiquee signed the deal at the head office of PRAN Dairy in Dhaka on Thursday.

PRAN Dairy will work on variety of activities under the agreement including assisting farmers to increase milk production and milk procurement, providing dairy producers with farm management training, supplying milk in formal market and promoting safe milk production and consumption in Southern Bangladesh.

The activities will be conducted in several districts including Jashore, Khulna, Kushtia, Narail, Satkhira, Faridpur, Barishal, Pirojpur and Jhalakathi. ACDI/VOCA will help PRAN Dairy through financing and guidelines.

Though the programme, dairy farmers in the Southern parts will be benefited through learning about dairy firms. Youth and women, in particular, will be benefited the most from the training and they will be encouraged to rear cows and able to sell the milk easily to PRAN Dairy. Therefore, PRAN Dairy will establish new village milk collection centres in these areas and increase the activities under the existing milk collection centres.

PRAN Dairy Deputy General Manager (Operation) Maksudur Rahman, Sharif Uddin Tarafdar (Extension services), Assistant General Manager Rakibul Islam Lanin, ACDI/VOCA Private Sector Engagement specialist Salim Hosain and Moyez Kabir were present at the program.