The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) of the federal government in its recent meeting in Islamabad had approved a development project of Rs 109.815 million of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore.
Under the project titled "Dairy Training and Development Center at UVAS, the university will establish a Dairy Training and Development Centre at New Campus, Pattoki.
The project would be completed in three years and it will strengthen the Department of Dairy Technology by expanding its training and research activities in dairy processing, quality control and milk safety. The university is also initiating a four-year BSc (Hons) Dairy Technology degree programme from the coming academic session.
With the approval of this project, the university will be able to have good infrastructure and practical and research facilities for the students of dairy technology.
THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE:
-- To establish a modern dairy processing plant for research and training of students.
-- To develop a formal partnership with the dairy sector.
-- To promote collaboration between the UVAS and the PTC (a training institute) of Netherlands and dairy experts from New Zealand or Australia.
-- To strengthen training and research facilities in the disciplines of milk collection, storage and processing, farm management and development of new value added products for export purposes.
The university will produce qualified manpower at certificate, diploma, graduate and postgraduate levels in the field of dairy technology and conduct research on milk adulteration, milk safety, milk processing, storage and distribution. The implementation of this project will go a long way in promoting training and research facilities in dairy sector.
The project is highly beneficial in terms of its macro-economic impact, besides educational and demonstrational effects. It will result in the emergence of a more competitive dairy sector and will improve cooperation between education and research services and the industry.