A Vietnamese dairy farm has won Southeast Asia’s first Global Good Agricultural Practice (G.A.P.) certificate for quality and safety
The Netherlands-based Control Union Certifications B.V., gave the certificate to the farm run by Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company, better known as Vinamilk, in the central province of Nghe An, Tuoi Tre News reported.
Global G.A.P. is a farm management tool created to meet the needs of the domestic and international markets.
It had taken the farm eight months to implement all necessary procedures for the certificate, the dairy company said.
It also helps boost the efficient use of resources and sustainable agricultural production, contributing to rural development and environmental protection.
Meanwhile, the Dutch-owned FrieslandCampina Vietnam Company started work on the construction of a project on expanding large-scale dairy farms in the northern province of Ha Nam.
The 54.5 ha project, the first to be financed by the Dutch dairy producer in the Vietnamese market, aims to create 10 dairy farms.
After five years, each farm, two of which are scheduled for completion by December 2014, will house 50-80 milk cows.
The project is also tailored to ensure a stable supply of raw milk for FrieslandCampina’s facilities in Vietnam, the dairy producer said.
Ha Nam now has a herd of some 500 milk cows that generate dairy products worth a total of around US$707,630 a year. It has set a target to expand the herd to 2,000 by 2015 and 7,000-8,000 by 2020.
The Vietnam National Animal Husbandry Association has revised its plan to import some 150,000 cows from Australia in 2014, up 30,000 from the previous plan set earlier this year, due to strong demand in the first half.
