Bangladesh’s demand for milk is growing, notes Arla. However, with local dairy production only meeting 40% of its requirement, Arla Foods and Bangladesh dairy cooperative MilkVita are joining forces to support the sustainable development of the country’s dairy sector.

Arla has had a presence in Bangladesh since 1961 and its DANO milk powder brand is said to be the best known in the country. During a recent visit to Bangladesh, Arla’s CEO, Peder Tuborgh, confirmed Arla’s commitment to supporting the development of the local dairy industry and the collaboration between Arla and MilkVita is described as a concrete next step.

The agreement between the two dairy cooperatives, which was signed at the P4G Summit in Copenhagen recently, has a fourfold purpose. As well as enabling knowledge sharing between MilkVita, Arla Foods and relevant knowledge institutions and ministries, best practice from the Danish dairy sector will be exchanged with the aim of fulfilling the country’s commitment to improving quality standards to the level of those applied in Europe.

Working with Arla will also enable MilkVita to strengthen Bangladesh’s cooperative dairy model and it will draw on Arla’s expertise to increase the yield per cow. The benefit for Arla is that it will gain a better understanding of the dairy sector in Bangladesh, enabling it to develop targeted products for a market which it believes holds great potential.

Arla’s executive vice president for International, Tim Ørting Jørgensen, said: “As a dairy cooperative with over 100 years of dairy experience on which drawn, we look forward to inspiring MilkVita and sharing our extensive knowledge about sustainable dairy farming, food safety and technology.

“The agreement is also a further example of Arla’s commitment to the UN’s sustainable development goals as we will support the development Bangladesh’s agricultural sector, which in turn will strengthen sustainably produced milk and improve the livelihoods of farmers.”