Arla Foods and Bangladesh’s MilkVita to support the sustainable development of the dairy sector in the country. Credit: Nikolai Chernichenko on Unsplash.

Arla Foods has partnered with MilkVita to support the development of Bangladesh’s dairy industry.

Demand for milk in Bangladesh is growing and the local dairy production is able to meet 40% of its requirements. The partnership will aim to address this gap.

MilkVita manufactures and distributes dairy products such as milk and ice cream. As part of the agreement, the two dairy cooperatives will share their knowledge and exchange best practices.

“We will support the development of Bangladesh’s agricultural sector, which in turn will strengthen sustainably produced milk.”

The partnership is also expected to help raise milk quality standards to the level of those applied in Europe.

Arla’s international executive vice-president Tim Ørting Jørgensen said: “As a dairy cooperative with more than 100 years of dairy experience, we look forward to inspiring MilkVita and sharing our extensive knowledge about sustainable dairy farming, food safety and technology.

“The agreement is also a further example of Arla’s commitment to the UN’s sustainable development goals, as we will support the development of Bangladesh’s agricultural sector, which in turn will strengthen sustainably produced milk and improve the livelihoods of farmers.”

Arla has been operating in Bangladesh since 1961. It will help MilkVita to increase the yield per cow, while also gaining a better understanding of Bangladesh’s dairy industry in order to develop targeted products for the market.

Arla currently distributes milk powder products in Bangladesh through its Dano brand.