Dairy sector to see a boost

The government is going to take nine projects aiming to develop the country's dairy industry and increase the productivity of cattle, and thus boost milk production to meet its growing demand.

The Department of Livestock Services has formulated the project proposals and sent those to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock for its approval.

“A process is underway to have those approved,” according to an official document.

The projects include strengthening veterinary services through mobile veterinary clinics and mini diagnostics laboratories; modernisation and capacity building of regional research centres of livestock diseases; setting up national livestock breeding centres; coordinated livestock development in coastal islands; reproductive disease control; and modernisation of state-run milk farms.

In 2008-09 fiscal year, according to the document, the per capita milk intake in the country was 43.35 ml which rose to 157.97 ml in 2016-17.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommends 250 ml milk consumption per person a day.

A senior official at the ministry said the government has taken a number of steps to increase milk production in the country.

The Department of Livestock Services is also running artificial breeding activities through 3,750 sub-centres and points.

The government has begun “artificial breeding programme expansion and implementation of embryo transfer technology project (3rd Phase)”, aiming to set up artificial breeding points in all unions.

Besides, the livestock department is implementing the “breed upgradation through progeny test (2nd Phase)” to improve the species of livestock.

According to the available data, every day around 18 million litres of milk are produced in the country. Every year, Bangladesh imports 65-70 thousand metric tonnes of powdered milk, equal to 17 lakh litres of liquid milk.