17 Jan 2015: A high-level Australian delegation on Friday visited the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Anand district and Dudhsagar Dairy in Mehsana district to hold wide-ranging discussions for future partnerships with the Indian dairy industry.
The delegation led by senator Richard Colbeck, parliamentary secretary to the Australian federal Minister for Agriculture and Mark Morley, senior trade commissioner at Australian Trade Commission conveyed that Australia is keen on forging collaborations with major players in the Indian dairy industry for which the delegation is identifying potential areas of alliance.
At Anand, NDDB’s managing director Dilip Rath gave the delegation a brief overview of the innovations introduced by the national board. The delegation held a wide ranging discussion with NDDB officials on the areas of opportunities and collaboration, best ways to pursue these opportunities and enter into regional value chain.
“NDDB will be glad to explore possible collaboration in the areas of animal nutrition, breeding and process innovation,” said Rath.
At Mehsana, the delegation visited the Dudhsagar Dairy’s plant apart from the Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy and Food Technology and ISO 9001 certified ‘A’ grade frozen semen station at Jagudan. It also held discussions with Dudhsagar Dairy’s chairman and other officials.
“The growth of Indian dairy industry is a fantastic story. Our discussions focused on dairy cattle breeds, genetics, fodder grass and animal nutrition, vocational education and training in dairy farming, research and development in milk products, dairy farm consultancy and IT enabled services,” senator Colbeck told TOI.
“Australia has the required skills to offer best solutions to improve production efficiency, education and skills and provide inputs to value-added agricultural production along with expertise in technology and equipment,” said Colbeck, adding that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Premier Tony Abbott have established the foundations for both the governments to enhance trade cooperation.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com