Strong cooperation for a strong industry
29 March 2019 News from the Company
Election as the Chairman of the National Association of Milk Producers came as a surprise to me. I appreciate the trust and will do my best to live up to it. I understand that it is not going to be easy.
In the first place, it is of crucial importance to the Association to bring together all the players of the dairy market so that we could join our efforts. I have been dreaming of a united and strong dairy association for a long time. Now, the key dairy producers have joined us, which means that the National Association of Milk Producers has grown stronger, and our voice will definitely be heard.
The next goal is to make our Association attractive for medium- and small-sized milk producers and processors.
All dairy producers of our country and I as the Chairman of the Association are facing serious challenges. The most pressing issue is adulteration. We need stricter measures to counteract it. The dairy industry has been developing rapidly over the past years, a lot of dairies have been built, but if we do not solve the problem of adulteration, all the efforts invested in the industry development will be in vain.
Honest dairy producers will be able to compete with almost any country of the world. However, we cannot compete with those who make milk from palm oil. The advocates of adulterated dairy products not only undermine the credibility of Russian dairy producers — their activity has a negative effect on the price of real milk. I am convinced that not only producers but also retail chains must be held responsible for selling adulterated products. It has an adverse impact on their image as well.
I consider it absolutely necessary to continue the work of the Ministry of Agriculture aimed at further development of the cooperation with the Republic of Belarus. Currently, Belarus is the largest exporter of dairy products to Russia. In the Russian market, Belarusian milk is sold at a price lower than the cost to produce, which has a considerable effect on the demand: the milk offered by Russian producers is losing the battle. It is extremely important to find a solution to this problem.
President of the country Vladimir Putin has given a strategic task to the agricultural producers of Russia: to increase agricultural exports. I am confident that we can do it! Our country has the necessary capacity and resources. Very soon, we will start exporting our dairy products to China.
I keep saying that we can make our milk even more delicious and we are doing it every day. My ambition is to make the taste of milk matter to people. This product is a kind of miracle in itself. It is something genuine, healthy, coming from a real cow. I want to help people form a habit of drinking only natural milk. The members of our Association and I will do our utmost to make it happen.
Source: EkoNiva News 63
Translation from Russian