A new milk processing facility is launched on the local market with the assistance of the "Farmer to Farmer" Program January 27, 2010
The milk collecting cooperative "Vita-Lact", from Ignăţei, Rezina, is about to launch this February new dairy products, namely pasteurized milk and sour cream, on the domestic market. These products have a ten-day shelf life, and are based on modern production technologies. In order to test its production line, "Vita-Lact" hosted the American volunteer Brian Stone, selected on the contest basis in order to provide voluntary assistance within the program "Farmer to Farmer", from January 12 till January 27, 2010.
"We have decided to process ourselves the raw materials produced by our members in order to benefit from the added value as well" states Vasile Gheorghiţă, the cooperative manager. "We have also set another objective and that is to continuously increase the quality of the primary product and finished products in order to provide our children and grandchildren from schools and kindergartens with the best dairy products" he added. "We have applied for CNFA assistance because an international expert is way too expensive for our financial capacity, while a local one might not discover all our secrets", Vasile Gheorghiţă says.
On the same matter, Brian Stone has stated the following: "I was glad to discover so much commitment and desire to improve things in Ignăţei, particularly regarding the processed products. Obviously, there are many impediments, such as the excessive costs, the underdeveloped market, as well as the lack of investments and knowledge, but I believe the "Vita-Lact" members have all the premises in order to succeed", the American volunteer says.
While testing its producing line, "Vita-Lact" has organized dairy tastings for several businesses, schools and kindergartens and even managed to conclude several delivery contracts with them. The "Vita-Lact" dairy products will be sold at producer prices, which will not surpass the ones already existing on the market.
The mini milk-pasteurizing processing unit currently owned by "Vita-Lact" has a production capacity of 600 liters and was purchased at the price of 260.000 MDL. It consists of a milk-collecting tank, a fat-separating centrifuge, a homogenizer, dosing, pasteurizing and packaging equipment, and a cooling tank. Moreover, the cooperative also owns a refrigerator. With this equipment, "Vita-Lact" will initially produce pasteurized milk and sour cream, while in the future it will be able to expand its line of products. The "Vita-Lact" representatives have already stated their intention to produce butter and cheese in the future, as well as to collect and package goat milk.
According to Nadejda Mocanu, "Farmer to Farmer" Program Coordinator, so far the Program provided "Vita-Lact" with ten volunteers. They have provided different forms of assistance to the cooperative members and employees, including training services on different matters – cooperative development, artificial insemination, veterinary assistance, and advice on increasing the quality of the milk. "The cooperative has already taken its next step, making a decision to process the raw material of its members" states Nadejda Mocanu. "After two weeks of trial runs under Brian Stone’s expert supervision, I am convinced Vita-Lact is now ready to launch the processing and the marketing of dairy products".
Brian Stone has extensive experience in dairy processing, and provides consulting services to businesses from different countries such as Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan from the year 2007. The main objective of the volunteer’s current assignment in Chişinău was to assist the testing of the processing line, as well as the preparations in order to launch the dairy production itself. The volunteer’s assignment was also focused on providing training and recommendations on market access, cost reduction, as well as to provide the cooperative with advice on how to increase productivity and product quality.
The "Vita-Lact" cooperative was registered in the year 2001 and is currently providing its members with collecting, cooling and transportation services, as well as veterinary and pharmaceutical ones, and mechanical works. Given the milk overproduction in the summer of 2008, and the bottlenecks for raw material marketing, the cooperative members have decided to extend the range of services provided by the cooperative by initiating processing activities as well. Currently the cooperative has 410 members and collects on a daily basis from 0.5 to 10 tones of milk from ten villages in the Rezina district.
There are currently 24 milk processing facilities in the Republic of Moldova.
According to the information from the site www.maia.gov.md, at the end of 2008 the cattle livestock in the Republic was of 180.000 heads, the production volume was of about 600.000 tons per year, while the productivity per cow was of 2900 kg. The line of products and the structure of dairy products remains relatively unchanged in the last seven or eight years. According to the same source, in order to launch the production of new dairy products, investment in new production technologies is required.
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The "Farmer to Farmer" Program is implemented in our country by CNFA, an American non-profit, USAID-funded organization. The program was launched in the year 1999 and prolonged in the years 2003 and 2008. It provides business consulting services and technical assistance on a voluntary basis to the local farmers, growers and processors. In the last 10 years, 20.000 local beneficiaries were provided with assistance in order to increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, the employment opportunities and the population income. With the support of the United States Government, USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries, in order to provide a better future for all.
For details please contact Nadejda MOCANU, "Farmer to Farmer" Program Coordinator (tel.: 240311, 069260005, nmocanu@moldova.cnfa.org) | 
