Improving Micro Enterprises in Dairy, the Dairy Value Chain Initiative of The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Entrepreneurs Project has been successfully completed by Hashoo Foundation (HF).A project close-out ceremony was arranged by the Foundation on Saturday in Bahawalpur to celebrate its many successes and in particular the public-private partnershipit was able to establish between HF and Shakarganj Food Product Limited. Dairy farmers from Southern Punjab, representatives from Pakistan’s livestock sector, and local NGOs joined project beneficiaries at the ceremony. The main objective of the initiative was to increase the incomes of micro-entrepreneurs involved in milk production and marketing, the majority of who are women, by 50%. The Project has enhanced the capacities of over 8,000 dairy farmers including Female Livestock Extension Workers (FLEWs) and Female Village Milk Collectors (FVMCs) through extensive capacity building and the integration of effective markets. Pakistan is the fifth largest milk producing country in the world with 35.6 billion liters (natural contents) of milk per year as published in a report of International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN). It is also estimated that 2.5 billion liters of milk are wasted in Pakistan each year. Through this initiative, Hashoo Foundation with the sponsorship of USAID has provided Pakistan’s rural dairy farmers, especially female dairy farmers, increased tools and the knowledge to improve their production, generating greater economic opportunities for themselves as well as for Pakistan’s entire dairy industry.The Project has also given special emphasis to the empowerment of women, who contribute greatly to economic growth efforts.
