Minister requests FAO’s help to boost lagging dairy sector

CAMBODIA has asked the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to support t he dair y sector here.

The request was made on Wednesday by Minister of Ag r ic u lt u r e, Fore s t r y a nd Fisheries Veng Sakhon during a meet i ng wit h FAO representative in Cambodia Alexandre Huynh.

Sak hon said the dair y sector in the Kingdom continues to underperform despite the minist r y ’s best ef for t s. He requested FAO’s inter vention given the importance of milk i n Ca mbod i a n c h i ld r en’s diets.

“I asked the FAO and other development partners to consider supporting the dairy sector because milk is nutritious and a very important part of children’s diets, especially in rural areas,” he said.

Wit h FAO’s s uppor t , t he number of dair y fa rms in t he K i ngdom c ou ld g r ow s i gni f ic a nt ly, he sa id.

There are only a handful of commercial dairy farms in the Kingdom, which means Cambodia imports most of its milk.

Huynh agreed on the importance of milk in the diet of Cambodian children and promised to follow up on the minister’s request.

Mao Sokunthea, the sales representative of Techo Sen Russey Treb Milk, told The Post on Thursday that despite the high demand for milk in the market, investment on dairy farms here was minimal.

More investment in the sector would reduce milk imports and create new jobs, she said.

“I support the minister’s request. We need more investment in the sector. We need to promote local dairy products and to up their standards,” she said.

Techo Sen Russey Treb Milk i s loc ated i n Prea h Vi hea r prov ince a nd has 100 cows. The f irm produces 600 litres of milk a day.