China: Nestle inaugurates Dairy Farming Institute

Nestle has announced the inauguration of a new Dairy Farming Institute in China as part of a CHF 30 million ($32 million) investment to help modernise Chinese dairy farming practices.

The aim of the operation is to enable local farmers to respond to the country’s milk demand in a sustainable, modern and efficient way in the coming years, the company said. China is one of the fastest growing markets for milk products globally and the market has the potential to almost double in volume by 2020 from current levels.

"We have a history of developing milk districts and the Nestlé Dairy Farming Institute is an extension of this", said John Cheung, Nestle China chairman and chief executive.

Meanwhile Hans Joehr, Nestle's head of agriculture, commented: "Milk is becoming a vital part of the Chinese diet, so the institute represents our commitment to helping China move its dairy sector to the next stage of development in a sustainable and efficient manner".

The institute, located in Shuangcheng in Heilongjiang Province, will include classrooms, laboratories, dormitories, and three different-sized training farms to facilitate the training courses. Through partnership with top universities, both domestic and international, as well as companies who are leaders in their respective field of dairy farming, the institute expects to train around 700 students annually through 17 different course offerings.

Source: Nestle