Accra, July 8, GNA - Milk consumption in the country is below the Food and Agriculture Organization's recommended value of 120 kilograms per capita, Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), Minister of Food and Agriculture, said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of a training programme for the small-scale dairy producers, he said despite the low consumption, the demand for milk and milk products in the country exceeded that of local production leaving a huge deficit that had to be met by importation. He, therefore, called for mechanisms to be put in place to ensure that people had access to adequate, wholesome and affordable milk all year round.

The programme comprise short-term practical courses at the Amrahia Dairy Farm for persons and organisations involved in milk production, collection, processing and marketing in the small-scale sector It is aimed at improving efficiency and quality along the milk chain.

It is being funded by the FAO at a cost of 330,000 dollars involving the procurement of some dairy training equipment that would be used to train the private milk collectors, processors and vendors many of whom were women.

Major Quarshigah said though the importation of dairy products stood at about 1,800 metric tons in the year 2000, which was reduced to 866 metric tons in 2002, " the imported quantity was still substantial and so was the import bill.

"We need, therefore, to encourage domestic milk production as it offers employment and income generation opportunities for our cattle farmers as well as the smallholder processors and traders," he said Major Quarshigah called on the trainers and trainees to develop mechanisms that would supply larger quantities of milk with higher levels of safety to the consuming public.

He said government was addressing the imbalance between the domestic supply and demand of milk by assigning a high priority to dairy development.

Cattle within the catchments areas of the Amrahia Peri-Urban Diary Project would be screened for diseases such as tuberculosis and brucellosis to ensure that the milk supplied was hygienically pure and disease-free.

Mr Anatolio Ndong Mba, Regional Representative of FAO, expressed the hope that through the Ministry consumer awareness would be developed about the nutritional value of locally produced milk and dairy products. Mr D. B. Etse, Director, Animal Production Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said so far 200 beneficiaries from all over the country had undergone the training sessions He expressed the hope that by the end of the programme the small-scale diary farmer would be better off than now.