June 20, 2011- The Project for the Recovery and Rehabilitation of the Dairy Sector in Beqaa Valley and Hermel-Akkar Uplands inaugurated the first center for collecting and refrigerating milk in the area, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.
The project distributed 1,200 stainless steel milk cans with 1,200 milk filters and a milk refrigerated transportation truck to dairy smallholders on Sunday (June 19).
The developmental project is funded by the Lebanon Recovery Fund, which was set up shortly after the 2006 war to channel donor financing for priority recovery and reconstruction projects.
The project is implemented through the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the UN Development Program (UNDP).
It aims at building the capacity of dairy farmers through training sessions and demonstrations in improved dairy farm management, feeding, milk hygiene and processing hygienic dairy products and animal health.
The project also provides assistance to dairy smallholders in milk collection and marketing through the initiation of primary milk collection centers at village levels.
It also works for the empowerment of dairy small producers in milk collection and marketing, through reviving the existing milk transportation trucks, owned by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Minister of Agriculture had issued a decree putting 11 milk transportation trucks at the disposal of the project. The project had also distributed 350 milking machines, as well as cleaning detergents and disinfectants.
The project has completed a procurement plan for setting up a primary milk collection network at village levels. It plans to install a primary milk collection network with 51 cooling tanks distributed according to the needs and volume of production at each location. The equipment would include essential tools and utensils for milk testing, receiving, filtration and refrigeration.
FAO has constituted 23 cooperatives throughout the project area (18 in Beqaa-Hermel and 5 in Akkar) and reaching most of the small to medium size farmers and dairy producers.