CHINA – DeLaval, a subsidiary of Tetra Laval which supplies equipment to the dairy industry,  has signed a new agreement with China Agricultural University to further improve efficiency in the dairy industry in China.

The new agreement builds on 30 year of cooperation between the two countries, Sweden and China through the Sino-Swedish Dairy Cooperation programme.

Pressured by the shortage for raw milk as well as the rising demand for dairy products, this new agreement will enhance the sustainable and profitable future of the dairy industry in both countries.

The new Sino-Swedish Dairy Cooperation Quality and Efficiency Project, running from 2020-2024, will operate under the agricultural cooperation memorandum of understanding signed between China and Sweden in 2012.

The project seeks to further revive the milk industry and improve the quality of domestic dairy products, as it defines a goal to increase the yield per cow.

It combines theory with practice, consisting of four modules: theoretical training, dairy field, case teaching and overseas training. The programme covers dairy farm management, dairy breeding, nutrition, animal health, as well as environmental aspects.

For more than 30 years, DeLaval has been able to grow together with the dairy industry in China contributing to a sustainable development, with support from both the Swedish and Chinese governments, customers, partners and Tetra Pak.

Dairy industry in China

The demand for dairy products is rising and expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 1.5 percent through 2023, driving demand for raw milk with annual growth of nearly 5 percent, according to a Daily China report.

However, China’s dairy industry is facing a critical imbalance between supply and demand for raw milk as domestic cow stocks and raw milk production are decreasing significantly. In 2018, the average yield per cow in China was 7.4 tons.

Chief scientist at the National Dairy Industry and Technology System and professor at China Agricultural University, Li Shengli notes “It is urgent to resolve this challenge at the source by increasing the yield per cow.”

The new projects marks yet another landmark towards enabling China meet its dairy requirements. In accordance with China’s plans for the dairy industry, the project will help achieve a change to 9 tons by 2025.

“This project will ensure a quality supply of raw milk through setting up a collection of model farms, forming strong guidelines, and then driving more farms to increase production,” said Li.

Paul Zhu, managing director China of Tetra Pak, leading food processing and packaging solutions provider, said the company is committed to growing with China’s dairy industry,

Over the past years, the company has been actively participating in and strongly supporting its development, addressing different needs at each stage.

“We are now working together on the new five-year project to help achieve China’s goal of increasing the yield per cow to ensure raw milk supply,” said Zhu.

Previous projects under the Sino-Swedish cooperation include the Talent Development Project 2015-2019 – which widely considered a boost to improve the quality of the dairy industry.

The projects has laid a strong foundation to further develop the industry’s talent resources.