The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided a grant of 5.2 million US dollar to CARE Bangladesh for strengthening the dairy value chain to increase the productivity of small dairy farmers and link them to the formal dairy market.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the foundation, announced the funds for the over four years "Strengthening Daily Value Chain (SDVC) Project" as part of a package of agricultural development grants at a press conference at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland on January 25, said a press release here yesterday.

Dr Helene D. Gayle, President and CEO of CARE International, Amos Namanga Ngongi, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA,) and Robert B. Zoellick, President of World Bank, among others, were present.

CARE will use the grant to provide landless and smallholder farmers with the opportunity to enhance their participation in and profit from the dairy value chain in Bangladesh, where 80 percent of the population of 147 million people lives in rural areas and cattle area an inseparable part of the farming system.

Milk production remains primarily in the hands of the rural poor-with households averaging two to three cows-who produce more than 90 percent of the milk in the country. Their manner of production, transportation and transaction remains informal and inadequate.

"This generous grant will allow us, initially, to improve the lives of 35,000 families who earn their living from dairy farming. But ultimately, this project has the capacity to benefit two million households," said Helene Gayle.

"Through working with private and public sector partners, we will create best-practice models that address the major obstacles for small- scale dairy farmers and demonstrate environmentally-friendly practices."

The project includes establishing 21 chilling plants and house-to-house milk collection systems around which farmers will organise, improving the transportation system linking chilling plants with processing facilities and training and hiring para- veterinarians.