ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Pakistan Dairy Association (PDA) hosted a Seminar on “Safe Milk: The Way Forward” at Serena hotel in Islamabad on Wednesday, aiming at to gather all the relevant stakeholders at one place to share their expertise and reach a consensus to uplift the dairy industry.
The Seminar also served as a platform to talk about legislations to control the provision of unsafe milk in consumer markets.
The event was opened by the Chairman Nestle Pakistan Syed Yawar Ali while it was chaired by the Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Mehboob Sultan.
Stakeholders from the government of Pakistan (GOP), dairy industry, regulatory bodies and media attended the event among international guests and speakers from IFCN, WHO, International Dairy Federation and Government of Turkey. These speakers shared varied insights and facts on dairy industry in their respective markets.
The event also saw the launch of the second edition of Economic Impact Report, an independent study conducted by LUMS, which covers the economic impact of Pakistan’s Dairy Sector. The dairy sector of Pakistan has become one of the most vibrant and strategic sectors with a major impact on the national economy, public health and the environment.
While expressing his views about the seminar, the Chairman PDA Sulaiman Monnoo, said, “Currently Pakistan is amongst the 5 largest dairy producing countries in the world, yet unfortunately 95% of the milk traded in Pakistan is sold as loose milk most of which is unhygienic or adulterated and is not providing our masses with the required nutrition they need resulting in problems such as malnutrition and stunted growth as highlighted by the Prime Minister in his inaugural address. The Punjab government is taking a very positive step by introducing a minimum pasteurization law to ensure that all the milk being produced is free of adulterants and harmful bacteria and complies with certain minimum nutritional standards that make it fit for consumption”.
The Seminar will provide a platform to GOP to take necessary steps for the provision of safe milk to consumers.
“The purpose of having these seminars is to facilitate the government in this endeavour by sharing knowledge and best practices from around the world by dairy experts who have successfully implemented this exact process in other countries. The main objective is to have all stakeholders understand the challenges that are inherent to the sector and to work together for one common goal i.e. a healthy and prosperous Pakistan.
We as the Pakistan Dairy Association wish to extend our full support to the government in implementing the pasteurization Law in Pakistan to develop the Dairy Sector so that it can become a key contributor to the country’s economic growth,” Sulaiman Monnoo said.
