On Thursday, July 18, 2024, the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences at Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) held a workshop titled “The Role of Dairy Cooperatives in Establishing a Sustainable Milk Supply Chain.” This event was a collaboration between UNDIP and ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research). UNDIP and ACIAR have established a joint research partnership titled “Evaluating Service Provision Approaches and Value-Chain Interventions to Support Milk Cooperatives to Grow the Smallholder Dairy Sector of Indonesia,” also known as IndoDairy2.
The workshop was inaugurated by Wijayanto, S.IP., M.Si., Ph.D., Vice Rector IV, who emphasized the importance of this research collaboration in supporting the government’s program to increase domestic milk production and reduce milk imports.
In the workshop, Ir. Agus Wariyanto, S.IP., M.M., Head of the Livestock and Animal Health Agency of Jawa Tengah, who also serves as one of the speakers, stated that the research collaboration between UNDIP and IndoDairy2 is expected to enhance the welfare of smallholder dairy farmers and strengthen the institutional capacity of dairy cooperatives in Jawa Tengah. This effort aligns with the Jawa Tengah government’s program to establish “Jawa Tengah as the National Livestock Hub,” which requires synergy among all stakeholders in the dairy sector in Jawa Tengah.
drh. Dian Wahyu Harjanti, Ph.D., Coordinator of the IndoDairy2 Project for Jawa Tengah (In-Country Coordinator), highlighted that the workshop aims to garner support from stakeholders in the dairy sector to achieve the three objectives of IndoDairy2:
- Short-term goal: To understand the diversity of dairy cooperatives in Jawa Tengah.
- Medium-term goal: To analyze the business models of dairy cooperatives.
- Long-term goal: To improve the welfare of dairy farmers and establish a National Dairy Advisory Commission.
The workshop was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Animal and Agricultural Sciences UNDIP (Prof. Sugiharto, S.Pt., M.Sc., Ph.D.), the IndoDairy2 Project Leader from Central Queensland University (Assoc. Prof. David McGill), researchers from the University of Melbourne (Assoc. Prof. Margaret Ayre and Dr. Kaitlyn Height), as well as representatives from the Livestock and Animal Health Agency of Jawa Tengah, Cooperative and SME Agency of Jawa Tengah, Regional Development Planning Agency of Jawa Tengah, local livestock agencies, dairy processing industries, dairy feed industries, dairy cooperatives, and smallholder dairy farmers who are members of cooperatives.
A “Panel Discussion” was also held, involving representatives from the Food and Agriculture Agency of Salatiga City, Cimory, KUD Mojosongo, Koperasi Pesat, and CV Anugerah Karya Utama. The discussion was held with the aim of exploring the roles of the government and dairy processing industries in providing services for dairy cooperative members.
The workshop also featured a ‘breakout room’ to outline the general roles of various stakeholders in supporting dairy cooperatives.
IndoDairy2 aims to improve farmers’ welfare by supporting dairy cooperatives in delivering beneficial services to smallholder dairy farmers and providing input for government policies. It will also utilize and evaluate existing research in Indonesia, particularly on services offered by dairy cooperatives and similar institutions, as well as support business models to address supply chain challenges.
The workshop is expected to raise support and introduce IndoDairy2 activities to stakeholders in the dairy sector in Jawa Tengah while also providing an overview of the diversity of dairy cooperatives and the dairy extension systems currently operating in the region.
