AGROBIOSOLUTIONS
AgriBusiness Consulting & AgriBusiness Solutions
Project concept
SIDDAIR is located in the river bank area of the Yellow river, nearby Baboa village, Huayuan towns, at about 21 kilometres north-north-east of Zhengzhou city, Henan Province, PRC. The total project area covers a surface of about 113 hectares, including 88.3 hectares of arable land.
SIDDAIR has been playing a vital role in promoting dairy farming as a profitable economic activity by demonstrating the opportunities for improving financial returns through raising productivity, improving production efficiency and producing consistently high quality milk. Intending to bridge the differences between Chinese and Dutch management approaches in the field of dairy production SIDDAIR demonstrated various managerial and technical options, ranging from low input to the more advanced production systems.
The applied concept envisaged to demonstrate a logical sequence of farm development under Chinese circumstances. Introducing and demonstrating applied and innovative technology and knowledge in the field of dairy production, well adapted to Chinese circumstances, three different models of technically sound, environmentally non-degrading, and economically viable dairy farming systems were exhibited.
1. A small farm-unit with 10 milk cows plus followers on the basis of zero-grazing with the purpose of showing opportunities for improving technical and financial performance, just by uplifting level of farm management.
2. A tie-stall for 20 milk cows plus followers with mechanised milking and milk cooling, and on-farm fodder crop production to demonstrate the next step in the logical sequence of farm development.
3. One larger farm-unit with 90 cows plus followers, demonstrating innovative technology and state-of-the-art management methods and techniques, including a free-stall housing system, milking parlour, milk cooling tank, and fodder crop production and management.
The project aimed to facilitate the process of gradually changing farmers' attitude towards modern management practises by showing it in practise. Introducing appropriate farm management approaches to allow efficient and profitable farm operations in a competitive environment, emphasis was put on (re)productive performance, production efficiency and product quality. The technical package (extension message) aimed at providing dairy farmers with practical advice contributing to more efficient use of available resources (i.e. improved input to output ratio’s). Geared towards optimal performance and efficiency, the farm activities were centred around fodder crop production (grassland or alternative fodder crops), accurate feeding strategies, animal health, reproduction management, calf rearing, and milk harvesting and handling.
Sino-Dutch Dairy Training & Demonstration Centre
SIDDAIR, set-up in 1999 as a joint co-operation between the Department of Agriculture of Henan Province (PRC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries of The Netherlands (LNV), was established as a Centre for Innovations in Dairy Production with the aim to increase competitiveness and sustainabilty of Chinese dairy farming systems operating in a market driven economy. Siddair's mission was to introduce, demonstrate and disseminate sound farm management practices, sustainable production methods and Dutch applied technology and knowledge to the Chinese dairy farming community to develop dairy farming systems able to compete effectively in a market-oriented environment.
AgroBioSolutions provided the key expertise to develop the Siddair Project from scratch, accountable for designing, developing and managing various sustainable dairy farming systems, to promote dairy farming as a profitable economic activity under Chinese circumstances. AgroBioSolutions provided Project Cycle Management Services throughout the Project's Lifetime, taking professional and proper care of total design, establishment and management of the various dairy farming systems, varying from low (external) to high input systems, for the purpose of demonstration and on-station applied and adaptive research. Over the period 1999-2004 AgroBioSolutions provided more than 100 man-months of professional expertise, employing 20 Fte's local staff.
" In 1999 the P.R. of China and The Netherlands initiated a bilateral dairy project in Henan Province for which experts of AgroBioSolutions diligently took care of total project design, construction, development and management. Although the Chinese were not particularly familiar with advanced dairy farming methods, due to the expertise, know-how and excellent supervision of AgroBioSolutions the project was successfully developed and at present, 10 years after completion, it is still working well and even became one of the examples for the Chinese dairy farming industry. The Chinese will not forget AgroBioSolutions’ enormous contribution and dedication."
TESTIMONIAL
Tu Dazhao, Beijing, P.R. China