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Maneesh Bakshi
Doha
Qatari-owned dairy farm Baladna is preparing to widen its local milk distribution channel by adding around 200 more retail outlets to its network in the next 10 days, CEO John Dores has told Qatar Tribune. This will account for 60 percent of the country's retail dairy market.
The company has recently signed an agreement with the Ali Bin Ali (ABA) group to distribute its dairy products.
At present, Baladna produces 50,000 litres of milk a day. According to Dores, the output is all set to soar as more cows have started entering their lactation cycles.
"We are trying to make our milk available at a competitive price and increased volumes. We hope to drop the prices in future," the chief executive said.
Baladna recently installed a state-of-art milking stall at its farm. It is the largest in the Middle East and can milk 100 cows in one go, Dores said.
Baladna's cow milk is currently retailing at QR7.5 per litre and is available in glass as well as plastic bottles.
The farm is in the process of airlifting 4,000 cows from abroad, of which 3,300 have already been flown in. The rest will be brought in soon, he added.
Once all the 4,000 cows are in the farm and have given birth, Dores said, the milk production would increase to roughly 120,000 litres.
Besides the 4,000 cows, 10,000 more will be brought in to Qatar via ship in three batches. The first batch of cows will arrive in early January and last in April.
"We hope to reach our self-sufficiency target of 300 tonnes (300,000 litres) of milk per day by June next year," Dores said.
Baladna farm is one of the shining examples of Qatar's defiance against the unjust siege imposed by the Saudi-led bloc and its dedication to the"made-in-Qatar commitment.
