Baladna works with World Bank financing arm in Syria dairy project

Qatar’s Baladna Food Industries is teaming up with an limb of the World Bank to enactment Syria’s dairy industry.

In a connection yesterday (26 April), dairy radical Baladna said it is moving with the World Bank’s International Finance Corp. (IFC) arsenic “part of broader efforts to fortify nutrient security, agrarian livelihoods, and occupation instauration successful a fragile and conflict-affected setting”.

The task volition measure beverage accumulation capableness successful Syria, including opportunities for consolidation, on with logistics bottlenecks and “compliance with biology and societal standards”.

Baladna and IFC volition unneurotic measure “whether a sustainable, investment-ready dairy worth concatenation tin beryllium rebuilt astatine scale”, taking a phased attack starting with analytical and field-based studies.

Marek Warzywoda, the CEO of Baladna, said: “Rebuilding nutrient systems successful fragile environments requires patience, discipline, and a willingness to commencement with fundamentals.

“By grounding imaginable aboriginal investments successful applicable realities connected the ground, we purpose to assistance reconstruct home dairy accumulation successful a mode that supports nutrition, creates jobs, and delivers semipermanent value.”

The connection described Syria arsenic 1 of the world’s “most food-insecure countries” pursuing years of conflict, which has disrupted nutrient production, peculiarly dairy.

Located successful the Qatari superior of Doha, Baladna produces its ain marque of beverage and cheese, pick and yogurt. It besides supplies desserts specified arsenic atom pudding and earthy effect juices.

Baladna and IFC volition research however “small and medium-sized dairy farmers tin beryllium reintegrated into structured, commercially viable proviso chains”.

Wagner Albuquerque, the IFC’s determination manager for manufacturing and agri-business, said: “This concern is simply a large illustration of what we mean by AgriConnect – gathering direct, applicable links betwixt smallholder farmers, marketplace infrastructure and private-sector concern truthful that farmers are progressive participants successful resilient, inclusive worth chains.

"It besides demonstrates the value of private-sector partners that are consenting to prosecute responsibly successful hard markets, with a absorption connected inclusion and sustainability.”

Meanwhile, Baladna has besides entered a task successful Algeria to vessel dairy cows from the US starting successful November.

Baladna has acquisition successful the country pursuing the enactment successful 2017 of a dairy workplace successful the godforsaken located astatine Umm al-Hawaya for which it imported cattle from Europe and the US.

The Qatar concern said past week it had signed contracts worthy $635m arsenic portion of a $3.5bn task to “progress toward section powdered beverage production” successful Algeria.