Thailand aims to increase milk consumption to 25 liters per head per year

[webfact]

Thailand aims to increase milk consumption to 25 liters per head per year

 

FILE photo

 

BANGKOK, 31st May 2018 (NNT) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has cooperated with the Ministry of Public Health, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the dairy industry to increase the country's annual milk consumption from 18 liters per head to 25 liters per head by 2026. 

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) designates June 1st of every year as the World Milk Day to raise peoples awareness of the significance of milk consumption. 

The acting Director-General of the Department of Livestock Development, Sorawit Thaneeto, said his department, the Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand, the Thai Dairy Industries Association, and other agencies will organize an event to mark the World Milk Day 2018 on June 1st, 2018, at Dusit Zoo, Bangkok. 

An awareness campaign will be launched to promote benefits of milk, which plays an important role in supplying essential nutrients to different stages of life. New dairy products will also be displayed at the event. 

Currently, Thai people drink about 18 liters of milk per head per year, which is relatively low compared to people in Japan, Europe and the United States. Thailand has urged Thai people to drink two glasses of milk a day and aims to increase its consumption to 25 liters per head per year by 2026. 

Besides milk consumption, the agency also places importance to dairy farming. Milk consumption is good for people’s health and also supports dairy farmers.

 

-- nnt 2018-05-31

[Thian]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand has urged Thai people to drink two glasses of milk a day and aims to increase its consumption to 25 liters per head per year by 2026.

Well a glass is 200 cl, so 2 glasses a day makes 146 litre a year.

 

Maybe they also need some broccoli-juice with that so they can learn math at the same level as Westerners as well.

[Thian]

Where will they get the extra milk from?

 

I have only seen cows from chockchai farm which looked like real healthy milkcows..All the rest of the Thai cows looks as skinny as a wild chicken.

 

So where is the milkproducing area of thailand? Can we spot thousands of cows in greenfields overthere?

[Jeremy50]

14 minutes ago, Thian said:

Where will they get the extra milk from?

 

I have only seen cows from chockchai farm which looked like real healthy milkcows..All the rest of the Thai cows looks as skinny as a wild chicken.

 

So where is the milkproducing area of thailand? Can we spot thousands of cows in greenfields overthere?

You are confused, over types of cow. The skinny ones are the indigenous breeds, reared mostly for meat. Dairy cows are imported stock of mostly Frisian and some other breeds. Dairy herds can be seen in some parts of Thailand, generally in the North, and look the same as dairy cows the world over. However, most Thais don't drink milk, this article probably refers to the many sweetened milk products that are found in 7/11 and supermarkets, and are sold to children in schools. Regular Thai milk is of a good standard, especially  Meiji. 

[Jingthing]

I find milk straight up disgusting. It's for KIDS. Why are they promoting this? Cheese and yogurt -- that's different. 

[Basil B]

If Thais were meant to drink milk Thai women would have bigger breasts... ?

[Thian]

4 minutes ago, Jeremy50 said:

You are confused, over types of cow. The skinny ones are the indigenous breeds, reared mostly for meat. Dairy cows are imported stock of mostly Frisian and some other breeds. Dairy herds can be seen in some parts of Thailand, generally in the North, and look the same as dairy cows the world over. However, most Thais don't drink milk, this article probably refers to the many sweetened milk products that are found in 7/11 and supermarkets, and are sold to children in schools. Regular Thai milk is of a good standard, especially  Meiji. 

I know how Frisian milkcows look, saw them every day when i grew up. They look much bigger than Thai cows and eat all day. Chokchai has a  lot of them but far from sufficient for the whole thai market i guess.

 

But even if Thailand has plenty frisian milkcows, what do they feed them? They need grass or haye/corn. Do they have plenty of that around chiang mai?

 

Yup Meiji is good milk, also their yoghurt is nice but yoghurt is far too expensive in Thailand. It's very easy to make yoghurt from milk.

[bluesofa]

This guy's got the answer:

 

[PatOngo]

I wonder how milk will mix with Lao Khao?

[CGW]

So, someone wants to sell more milk, he is paying X to promote for him, just like in the west with the "milk marketing boards" then they will all live happily ever after, the consumers will be drinking a white milky fluid that in reality has no goodness in it as if there ever was any it will have been both nuked and pasteurized, advertising at its best!

" Milk consumption is good for people’s health and also supports dairy farmers."

 

[ratcatcher]

30 minutes ago, Thian said:

I know how Frisian milkcows look, saw them every day when i grew up. They look much bigger than Thai cows and eat all day. Chokchai has a  lot of them but far from sufficient for the whole thai market i guess.

 

But even if Thailand has plenty frisian milkcows, what do they feed them? They need grass or haye/corn. Do they have plenty of that around chiang mai?

 

Yup Meiji is good milk, also their yoghurt is nice but yoghurt is far too expensive in Thailand. It's very easy to make yoghurt from milk.

Chokchai milk comes from Chockchai dairy farm, Nakhon Ratchasima. They have a large herd of Holsteins. Where does Meiji milk come from?   Japan or reconstituted milk powder from China?.

Perhaps there's a cowboy/girl out there that can tell me.

[electric]

There's a whole bunch of milky white celebrities looking for a new product to endorse, now that the fake cosmetics thingy is down the shitter.

 

Reckon the celebs would be pretty safe endorsing milk.

 

I love my homemade milk shakes. 1 litre milk, couple of big scoops of icecream and a decent gurgle of strawberry topping. It's a meal    55555

 

 

[BuaBS]

Start by lowering the price to european level or less.

[Moonmoon]

Alcohol consumption increase more probably ?

[Thian]

8 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

Start by lowering the price to european level or less.

How would they do that? Europe has cows along every road, and those are fat milk cows, not those skinny donkeys you see along thai backroads.

 

I also guess Meiji is not pure fresh milk, it comes very close though.

 

 

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, Thian said:

Well a glass is 200 cl, so 2 glasses a day makes 146 litre a year.

 

Maybe they also need some broccoli-juice with that so they can learn math at the same level as Westerners as well.

He didn´t have his calculator with him when he made that statement. However, it´s good to know they have something to go for. 

 

Right now they are not even in the list for 2016: https://www.statista.com/statistics/535806/consumption-of-fluid-milk-per-capita-worldwide-country/

 

 

[BuaBS]

1 minute ago, Thian said:

How would they do that? Europe has cows along every road, and those are fat milk cows, not those skinny donkeys you see along thai backroads.

 

I also guess Meiji is not pure fresh milk, it comes very close though.

 

 

Tax free milk powder imports.

[stud858]

milk, too expensive in Thailand. some one is getting really rich.  I limit my intake. cheese from human breast milk.  that's the next big thing. might bring the prices down

[cyberfarang]

Here is a fact; that people of South East Asia are extremely lactose intolerance. Their metabolisms are different from Europeans. Too many dairy products could kill them. This is why we don`t see many Thai people drinking milk and eating yogurts and cheese.

[JAG]

3 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

Here is a fact; that people of South East Asia are extremely lactose intolerance. Their metabolisms are different from Europeans. Too many dairy products could kill them. This is why we don`t see many Thai people drinking milk and eating yogurts and cheese.

Since all primary grade schoolchildren now get milk every day, presumably "lactose intolerance" will be "bred out" over the next couple of generations?

[heybuz]

Thai milk to me tastes like powered milk not normal taste.but that's me

[TheFishman1]

 

Milk is expensive here TIT

[thsmitsw]

14 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Chokchai milk comes from Chockchai dairy farm, Nakhon Ratchasima. They have a large herd of Holsteins. Where does Meiji milk come from?   Japan or reconstituted milk powder from China?.

Perhaps there's a cowboy/girl out there that can tell me.

Chokchai milk does not come from Chokchai farm... the Chokchai farm milk is sold under the Umm brand. The owners sold the Chokchai brand for fresh milk and started a new brand few year later.  Meiji, Dutch mill and others buy the fresh milk from cooperative milk collecting centers (and some privately owned milk collectors) which collect milk from the thousands of small farmers (20-40 cows average). I visited collecting centers yesterday collecting 30,000 to 150,000 liters of milk each day. There are literally thousands of small farmers around Saraburi, PakChong, Korat, Khonkaen etc. (also around Chiangmai). There are large numbers of people working in this industry (many from Myanmar too) and there is good progress in improving milk quality and comfort & nutrition for the cows. 

[mfd101]

TB tested?

[bluesofa]

24 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

 

Milk is expensive here TIT

I'm guessing that was some humour there!

 

[Cadbury]

I suspect this milk promo has come about because some people are going about peddling bulk cheap milk powder. Unsurprisingly this promotion is being supported by opportunistic senior officials within The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and The Ministry of Public Health. That's my cynical take on it anyway.

There is usually a money reason behind everything that happens in Thailand; including health promotions.

[thsmitsw]

The dairy cows in Thailand are not free of TB, as it is endemic and found also in people and other animals. The incidence in dairy cows is low as the cows do not roam around like the local beef cows. Still best not to get too close to the cows and drink only milk that is at least pasteurized. The large farms are tested and free.

 

[shady86]

How about breeding cows and making cow milks here test like Japan or Western countries?

Local milk here tastes plain...

[Bill Miller]

15 hours ago, BuaBS said:

Start by lowering the price to european level or less.

There is no "European level". There is a range from $0.64/litre in Poland to $2.05/liter in Norway. Thailand currently is ranked at $1.65/liter.
I suspect a more accurate article would be that the intent is to increase milk consumption in all forms, not necessarily expect lactose intolerant Thai adults to "drink two glasses" daily. 
Chockchai Farms provides one of the most consistent quality products, IMO. Meiji is also quite good. Some of the others I have suspected of adulteration with reconstituted powdered milk. Purely subjective based on my perception of the flavour.
A "new comer" of excellent quality is marketed as mMilk. Square plastic bottles that fit a liter comfortably into the oddly sized (IMO) lower door rack in my refrigerator. Like Chokchai they are a northern operation, with five locations.
I have been a sometime dairyman, and like milk. I think an increase in domestic butter and cheese production, real cheese, not that plastic crap, would be good. Decrease the amount of pricey imported goods.

 

[Bill Miller]

55 minutes ago, thsmitsw said:

Chokchai milk does not come from Chokchai farm... the Chokchai farm milk is sold under the Umm brand. The owners sold the Chokchai brand for fresh milk and started a new brand few year later.  Meiji, Dutch mill and others buy the fresh milk from cooperative milk collecting centers (and some privately owned milk collectors) which collect milk from the thousands of small farmers (20-40 cows average). I visited collecting centers yesterday collecting 30,000 to 150,000 liters of milk each day. There are literally thousands of small farmers around Saraburi, PakChong, Korat, Khonkaen etc. (also around Chiangmai). There are large numbers of people working in this industry (many from Myanmar too) and there is good progress in improving milk quality and comfort & nutrition for the cows. 

Well that is all as clear as mud.
I buy "Cokchai Farm" milk from Tesco Lotus all the time.
Is it or isn't it?

It is quite normal practice globally for a dairy "brand" to be the result of a dairy collective operation, and some will have a nominal "farm" to headline the operation. That is what I thought the deal was here, but now totally confused with "Umm" in the mix, etc.
Where in heck does Chokchai Farm milk, as in the above photo, come from if not from Chokchai Farm?
I mentioned mMilk in an earlier post, but that is a bit confusing, too, as it is actually produced by "Mary Anne", which has five "factory" locations in the north. Same deal, I expect, where the milk is from a "normal" dairy cooperative and processed at plants within reasonable distance of the collection points.