Bangladesh launches Pushti Kothha to promote safe milk production & consumption

BANGLADESH – The Green Dairy Partnership Project, supported by the Danida Green Business Partnership (DGBP) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, has launched ‘Pushti Kothha’, an awareness initiative to promote safe milk production and consumption in Bangladesh.

The programme was held at Bharat Bhaina High School in Keshabpur, Jashore, bringing together farmers, students, women entrepreneurs, youth, community leaders and government officials to strengthen knowledge and practices required for producing clean, hygienic milk from farm to table.

Administered by Solidaridad Network Asia, the Green Dairy Partnership includes PRAN Dairy, Arla Foods, IDRN–Bangladesh Agricultural University, SEGES Innovation and The Danish Agriculture & Food Council as key partners.

The project aims to build a green, safe and commercially sustainable dairy sector in Bangladesh, targeting a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and improved incomes for 10,000 farmers, with the potential to scale up to 50,000 households.

The consortium has adapted “Pushti Kothha” for grassroots participants, drawing inspiration from Arla’s global initiative “Food Movers” and complementing PRAN Dairy’s recent activities on the importance of safe milk.

Solidaridad has been actively promoting safe milk production and consumption since 2013 through a market-based approach that combines behaviour change, value chain development and sustainability.

Its strategy supports nutrient-rich diets, including milk, and contributes to improved health outcomes and better gender relations.

More than 600 students and teachers joined the interactive learning sessions, demonstrations and youth-friendly activities explaining the importance of clean and safe milk for health.

Dr Md Shimul Islam, Associate Professor, Department of Food and Nutrition Technology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, conducted the session.

Participants received brochures with step-by-step guidance on hygiene, boiling and storing milk safely, and preventing contamination.

They also received an interactive ludo board featuring food safety instructions inspired by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, along with dairy products, encouraging the healthy habit of drinking milk.

The Green Dairy Partnership integrates European expertise through Arla’s BIG FIVE concept, focusing on feed efficiency, animal robustness, manure handling, and land use—measures expected to reduce emissions while boosting productivity and farmer livelihoods.

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