ISLAMABAD: Swiss Ambassador Thomas Kolly has said there are many similarities between Pakistan and Switzerland, especially the diversity among the peoples of the two countries and the fact that both the countries’ top the list of quality milk producing nations in the world.
“I am enjoying a very positive experience in Pakistan as I have found great and friendly people here. The landscape is also gorgeous and I want to visit the northern areas as well,” he said while addressing the audience at a book launching ceremony here at the Swiss embassy.
A Swiss company, in collaboration with Pakistan, Board of Investment (BOI) and Swiss embassy, hosted the launch of a book, titled ‘Drops of the Divine: A Story of Milk in Pakistan’, narrating the story of milk production in the country.
Whilst speaking on the occasion, Kolly said he was absolutely delighted to host the launch of the book. Pakistan’s dairy industry had a lot of potential and the book launch was a testament to this fact.
“We are extremely proud of Nestlé and its achievements in Pakistan, and particularly its commitment to improving the livelihood of dairy farmers in its value chain,” he added.
Developed by Markings Publishing, the book carries beautifully captured pictures that truly depicts the history and journey of the packaged milk sector in Pakistan.
Pakistan is the fourth largest milk producing country in the world, with dairy and livestock’s contribution to the national GDP at a staggering 11 per cent. It is little wonder then that the constantly evolving and prolific dairy sector has contributed heavily to the economy of the country since its inception.
As mentioned in the dairy book, a majority of the population in Pakistan initially lived in rural areas and households tended to cattle and produced raw milk for their own consumption. Over the years, Pakistan experienced rapid urbanisation, due to which farmers became more enterprising and started distributing milk in densely populated areas with the help of mobile milk collectors. During the early 80s, the Government of Pakistan introduced favourable policies to fuel growth of the dairy and packaged milk industry.
Commenting on the significance of the packaged dairy industry, Nestlé Pakistan CEO Bruno Olierhoek said, “Apart from tracing the dairy trail and the packaged milk industry in Pakistan, the coffee table book also features insight from those associated with the country’s dairy sector over the years. The dairy sector had made significant contributions in Pakistan and this book chronologically documents the evolution of packaged milk in Pakistan. Our entire dairy value chain is committed to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by alleviating poverty and promoting decent work and employment for our dairy farmers.”
Speaking at the occasion, Board of Investment (BOI) Secretary Samaira Siddiqui said Pakistan was among the top three countries in Asia Pacific region which were the world’s top dairy producing countries.
“The launch of the book is a commendable step taken by Nestlé Pakistan on the evolution of the dairy sector of Pakistan. This book is a visual depiction capturing the success story of Pakistan’s dairy sector,” she added.