A growing number of consumers in Myanmar are heading to supermarkets to buy milk and other dairy products.

MYANMAR’S diary industry is expanding, with plans to increase milk production to more than 900,000 metric tonnes in the 2005-2006 fiscal year, up from 895,000 tonnes last year, said Dr Aung Gyi, the director of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.

The average person in Myanmar consumes an estimated 16 kilograms of milk each year, only about one-third the amount in most other Asian countries, where per capita consumption averages about 50 kilograms.In Japan it is even higher: 70 to 80 kilograms.

According to statistics released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), annual milk consumption in most developing countries is about 50 kilograms a person, and about double that in developed countries.

People in Myanmar have gradually become more aware of the health benefits of drinking milk, and consumption is steadily growing. However, it is still mostly consumed by children and the elderly.

In 1976 the FAO helped introduce dairy cows to Myanmar from abroad for the purpose of boosting milk production in the country.

There are now about 14 million head of cattle in the country, of which 11.5 million are cows. About 500,000 of these are dairy cows, most of which are kept in cities such as Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin, Sagaing, Kyaukse, Meikhtila, Pyay and Yangon.

Many of the milk-producing cows in Yangon are kept in the township of Pyinmabin.

The main dairy products made in Myanmar are raw milk, milk curds, dried milk and condensed milk. Myanmar produces about 800,000 metric tonnes of milk annually.

“Although milk production is sufficient for domestic consumption, we lack the technology to store and process the milk properly,” said Dr Aung Gyi.

To correct these deficiencies the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, in cooperation with the FAO, in March 2004 implemented a program to provide technology and training to small-scale dairies in Myanmar, he said.

Dr Aung Gyi serves as the national project coordinator for the program, which is expected to be completed in February 2006.

The government has contributed K10 million and FAO US$356,000 to the project.

Diary production machinery was installed in the Yangon Diary Training Centre in Insein township in February 2005, and the first training session for students from the diary manufacturing sector was held in the first week of June.

The second training session, for 18 diary manufacturers from Yangon and Mandalay, was conducted from July 4 to 6.

The training centre is expected to offer nine different courses and offer a total of 35 sessions before the end of the project.

In addition to providing technical knowledge to manufacturers, the program will also teach them how to process milk hygienically.