Tetra Pak, the world's leading food processing and packaging company concluded the 4th module of its four month long Dairy Extension training course at Solve Agri and Dairy Institute (SADI). The programme was conducted for staff of Tetra Pak's Dairy Hub project, a rural community dairy development programme to educate and empower dairy farmers through training, advice and veterinary services.
The module was held between September 3 and 8, 2012 and covered a diverse range of topics including Farm Management, Farm Economics, and Milk Hygiene. The first 3 modules of the course were held in May, June & July covering other aspects of Dairy Extension including rural sociology and extension services, forage production & storage, animal housing, animal nutrition, breeding & genetics, calf rearing, reproduction & artificial insemination and animal health.
The training was aimed for the capacity building of field staff from Nestle Pakistan, Haleeb Foods, Engro Foods and Shakarganj Foods in the area of modern dairy farm management, with the added objective of enhancing communication and presentation skills. After completing the course, participants are better equipped to communicate dairy farming best practices to rural farmers. These efforts will increase the productivity of livestock and foster sustainable improvements to the livelihoods of dairy farmers.
Speaking of the training programme, Kashif Bhatti, Marketing Director Tetra Pak Pakistan said, "Tetra Pak is deeply committed to the uplift of Pakistan's dairy sector. We believe that sustainable improvements to the industry can only be achieved through targeted initiatives at the grassroots level. By enhancing the knowledge and skill-sets of rural dairy farmers, we seek to improve the quality of milk being collected at source and enhance the milk productivity of rural dairy livestock."
The programme also included a presentation by Dr Waseem Shaukat, Incharge Solve Agri and Dairy Institute (SADI), regarding various initiatives and activities by Tetra Pak Pakistan and Solve Agri Pak for the development and promotion of the dairy industry in Pakistan. During the programme farm visits for programme participants were also arranged. Throughout the visits, participants witnessed various aspects of modern commercial dairy farming and learned of modern farm management practices. The participants also interacted with staff there and observed practical applications of their classroom sessions at SADI.