Success Stories - Bangladesh

EARTH SUMMIT+5
Special Session of the General Assembly to Review and Appraise
the Implementation of Agenda 21
New York, 23-27 June 1997
SUCCESS STORIES FROM BANGLADESH

Cooperative Dairy Extension Programme

Location Baghabarighat, Takerhat, Manikganj, Tangail and Dhaka in Bangladesh.

Responsible organization FAO as Executing Agency and Ministry of LGRD as implementing Agency.

Description The project set up a network of village milk producers' cooperative societies known as Dughda Utpadankari Samabaya Samities (DUSS) to provide an assured market outlet for surplus milk produced by the small farmers in these remote areas.

Issues addressed Developed a self-sustaining capacity for maintenance and operations of physical, social and economic components leading to sustainable human development.
All families became owner of the house through collection of hire-purchase fees within 10 years.
Increased quality of life as well as achieved sustainable livelihood through vocational education, skilled development training, credit delivery for income generating activities.

Objectives The project had the following overall development objective. Raising the subsidiary agricultural income of small farmers in relatively remote rural areas by organizing a cooperative system to purchase, on a regular basis, the surplus milk after meeting farmers' domestic requirements. Ensuring an adequate supply of safe milk and milk production to urban areas and thereby creating urban jobs in milk production, distribution and marketing.

Results achieved Security of land tenure and house ownership to 2600 families with a total population of 11,000 people.
The project implemented basic infrastructure services, core houses and community facilities such as opportunity for income generating activities, safe drinking water supply, sanitation & sewerage, embankment for flood protection and overall environmental enhancement for the community as a whole.
Community facilities supported by the international NGOs are:

women's training centre for 250 women;
pre-school education unit for 225 children;
vocational education for 574 children;
preventive health programme;
nutrition/rehabilitation unit for 100 children/mothers.
Since the inception of the project, average family income increased 300% over 7 years. Created positive impact on living and working condition, on income generating potential, on social services and women and children.

Lessons learned The project assisted the Government to formulate dairy policies where none were in existence before.
The project effectively consolidated the dairy cooperative system and successfully strengthened the marketing practices of BMPCUL. In addition to milk production, the Baghabarihat plant converts surplus milk into milk powder, butter and clarified butter for city markets. The Manikganj and Tangail plants being relatively close to Dhaka have only chilling plants while Takerhat at a good distance has a pasteurizing facility. Some new products were introduced and packaging and point of sale' materials improved.
A total of 25 model DUSSs were established, 10 in Baghabarighat and 5 in each of the other three milkshed areas to serve as demonstration of ideal societies.
The project inputs helped to a great extent in rehabilitating the non-functional DUSSs. A total of 42 existing DUSSs were rehabilitated. The DUSSs form the backbone of BMPCUL and are managed in a truly cooperative manner. Every member has to pay taka one as admission fee, another taka one for thrift deposit and taka ten for purchase of one share. They deliver their milk to the DUSS for which they receive payment on daily or weekly basis. The DUSSs deliver the bulk milk to the designated point of collection for onward transmission to the BMPCUL factory and receive weekly payments according to the quality and quantity of milk supplied.
The milk transportation from the village societies to the BMPCUL factories was changed during the project period, from the high cost motor launches to machinized country boats and from bit trucks to manual rickshaw vans with technologies provided for cooling.
Training over 310 DUSS staff was completed who continue to support the activities of the farmers. Demonstrations of new activities, such as urea molasses block making, fodder cultivation or cattle feed manufacture, production and handling of clean milk and modern animal husbandry practices were shown to the farmers during the training.
Spearhead teams were constituted to strength the extension service. The education of the DUSS members are now being undertaken through the extension officers, veterinary officers and society organizers. Video films on A.I. calf rearing, clean milk production, fodder cultivation, and disease prevention have been made using FAO film strips and Bengali narration for showing them in villages as a part of the extension programme. The extension aids produced by the project assistance is being used extensively in the milkshed area of BMPCUL for educating the farmers.
Mobile veterinary clinic of BMPCUL continues to function.

Financing UNDP IPF

Contact Shireen Kamal Sayeed, Programme Manager, UNDP
UNDP House, #60, Route 11A , Dhamondi R/A
GPO Box 224
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tel: +880 2/818600-06
Fax: +880 2/813196
E-mail: fo.bgd@undp.org

Copyright © United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Comments and suggestions: esa@un.org
1 November 1997

	Cooperative Dairy Extension Programme
	Location	Baghabarighat, Takerhat, Manikganj, Tangail and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
	Responsible organization	FAO as Executing Agency and Ministry of LGRD as implementing Agency.
	Description	The project set up a network of village milk producers' cooperative societies known as Dughda Utpadankari Samabaya Samities (DUSS) to provide an assured market outlet for surplus milk produced by the small farmers in these remote areas.
	Issues addressed	Developed a self-sustaining capacity for maintenance and operations of physical, social and economic components leading to sustainable human development. All families became owner of the house through collection of hire-purchase fees within 10 years. Increased quality of life as well as achieved sustainable livelihood through vocational education, skilled development training, credit delivery for income generating activities.
	Objectives	The project had the following overall development objective. Raising the subsidiary agricultural income of small farmers in relatively remote rural areas by organizing a cooperative system to purchase, on a regular basis, the surplus milk after meeting farmers' domestic requirements. Ensuring an adequate supply of safe milk and milk production to urban areas and thereby creating urban jobs in milk production, distribution and marketing.
	Results achieved	Security of land tenure and house ownership to 2600 families with a total population of 11,000 people. The project implemented basic infrastructure services, core houses and community facilities such as opportunity for income generating activities, safe drinking water supply, sanitation & sewerage, embankment for flood protection and overall environmental enhancement for the community as a whole. Community facilities supported by the international NGOs are: women's training centre for 250 women; pre-school education unit for 225 children; vocational education for 574 children; preventive health programme; nutrition/rehabilitation unit for 100 children/mothers. Since the inception of the project, average family income increased 300% over 7 years. Created positive impact on living and working condition, on income generating potential, on social services and women and children.
	Lessons learned	The project assisted the Government to formulate dairy policies where none were in existence before. The project effectively consolidated the dairy cooperative system and successfully strengthened the marketing practices of BMPCUL. In addition to milk production, the Baghabarihat plant converts surplus milk into milk powder, butter and clarified butter for city markets. The Manikganj and Tangail plants being relatively close to Dhaka have only chilling plants while Takerhat at a good distance has a pasteurizing facility. Some new products were introduced and packaging and point of sale' materials improved. A total of 25 model DUSSs were established, 10 in Baghabarighat and 5 in each of the other three milkshed areas to serve as demonstration of ideal societies. The project inputs helped to a great extent in rehabilitating the non-functional DUSSs. A total of 42 existing DUSSs were rehabilitated. The DUSSs form the backbone of BMPCUL and are managed in a truly cooperative manner. Every member has to pay taka one as admission fee, another taka one for thrift deposit and taka ten for purchase of one share. They deliver their milk to the DUSS for which they receive payment on daily or weekly basis. The DUSSs deliver the bulk milk to the designated point of collection for onward transmission to the BMPCUL factory and receive weekly payments according to the quality and quantity of milk supplied. The milk transportation from the village societies to the BMPCUL factories was changed during the project period, from the high cost motor launches to machinized country boats and from bit trucks to manual rickshaw vans with technologies provided for cooling. Training over 310 DUSS staff was completed who continue to support the activities of the farmers. Demonstrations of new activities, such as urea molasses block making, fodder cultivation or cattle feed manufacture, production and handling of clean milk and modern animal husbandry practices were shown to the farmers during the training. Spearhead teams were constituted to strength the extension service. The education of the DUSS members are now being undertaken through the extension officers, veterinary officers and society organizers. Video films on A.I. calf rearing, clean milk production, fodder cultivation, and disease prevention have been made using FAO film strips and Bengali narration for showing them in villages as a part of the extension programme. The extension aids produced by the project assistance is being used extensively in the milkshed area of BMPCUL for educating the farmers. Mobile veterinary clinic of BMPCUL continues to function.
	Financing	UNDP IPF
	Contact	Shireen Kamal Sayeed, Programme Manager, UNDP UNDP House, #60, Route 11A , Dhamondi R/A GPO Box 224 Dhaka, Bangladesh Tel: +880 2/818600-06 Fax: +880 2/813196 E-mail: fo.bgd@undp.org