PRAN Dairy Limited and US-based international
organisation ACDI/VOCA today signed an agreement to strengthen dairy
development in Southern Bangladesh.

The deal was signed to help the dairy sector in the Southern districts under
the USAID-funded “Feed the Future Bangladesh Nutrition program” run by
ACDI/VOCA.

Eleash Mridha, managing director of PRAN Group and Muhammad Nurul Amin
Siddiquee, chief of party of the project signed the deal today at PRAN
Dairy’s head office in the capital’s Badda area, said a press release here.

PRAN Dairy will work on variety of activities under the agreement including
assisting farmers to increase milk production and milk procurement, providing
dairy producers with farm management training, supplying milk in formal
market and promoting safe milk production and consumption in Southern
Bangladesh.

The activities will be conducted in several districts including Jashore,
Khulna, Kushtia, Narail, Satkhira, Faridpur, Barishal, Pirojpur and
Jhalakathi. ACDI/VOCA will help PRAN Dairy through financing and guidelines.

During the program, dairy farmers in the Southern parts will be benefited
through learning about dairy firms, the release said.

Youth and women, in particular, will be benefited the most from the training
and they will be encouraged to rear cows and able to sell the milk easily to
PRAN Dairy.

Therefore, PRAN Dairy will establish new village milk collection centers in
these areas and increase the activities under the existing milk collection
centers.

PRAN Dairy’s Deputy General Managers (Operation) Maksudur Rahman, Sharif
Uddin Tarafdar (extension services), Assistant General Manager Rakibul Islam
Lanin, ACDI/VOCA’s Private Sector Engagement Specialists Salim Hossain and
Moyez Kabir were present at deal signing ceremony.