Qatar Airways Cargo transports pioneer cow herd for new dairy industry in Qatar

Qatar Airways Cargo, the cargo division of Qatar’s national carrier, has transported the country’s first two shipments of 330 Holstein cows from Europe on a Qatar Airways Cargo Boeing 777 freighter. These initial shipments are part of a 4,000-head herd that marks the launch of a completely new industry for Qatar.

Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo said, “It is with utmost pride that we were given the opportunity to offer our expertise and services to support this momentous project. We are truly a part of history, helping launch the country’s newest industry, producing dairy products to meet local demand. The cattle charters involve a great deal of skill and coordination to ensure the flight from the points of origin to Doha was smooth and safe.

“With our extensive freighter fleet and state-of-the-art cargo facility at our Doha hub, we were able to meet our client Baladna Farm’s requirements with tailormade solutions to transport the cattle from various continents swiftly into Doha. Our dedicated team at Qatar Airways Cargo is well-trained and our QR Live product is fully-compliant with IATA’s Live Animal Regulations to ensure safe and comfortable air transportation of live animals.”

Source: Qatar Airways. Cows feeding.

The cargo carrier has been appointed to charter more than 20 cattle shipments from Europe, the US and Australia in the next few weeks. Upon arrival at Hamad International Airport (HIA), the cattle are carefully and efficiently transferred to Baladna Farm, a major livestock farm in Qatar.

Power International Holding Chairman Moutaz Al Khayyat said: “We are proud to expand the dairy industry in the State of Qatar, and are thankful to Qatar Airways Cargo for the expedient, safe and secure transportation of the cattle that have now safely arrived at their new home, Baladna Farm. With the arrival of the dairy cows, we aim to meet 30-35% of the imported milk demand in the country within two months.”

Baladna is a subsidiary of Power International Holding, a diversified Qatari company. Baladna has built special cowsheds with a temperature control system to ensure a comfortable environment for the cattle. Baladna Farm, built over 700,000 sq m, includes 40,000 Awassi sheep able to withstand high temperature and produce high-quality milk. The farm also houses 5,000 goats and an animal feed mill yielding 100 tonnes per day.

Qatar Airways Cargo recently attracted attention for undertaking a massive airlift of food and grocery items when a blockade was initiated by neighbouring countries on 5 June. This undertaking, arranged entirely by Qatar Airways Cargo, lasted several weeks and used its own fleet, as well as other leased aircraft. The cargo airline continues to connect its global customers’ businesses to over 150 destinations on 200 passenger and freighter aircraft.

Ranked the world’s third-largest international air cargo carrier, Qatar Airways Cargo has made significant investments in its fleet, network, its hub and products in recent years as part of its strategy and commitment to improve and enhance its product offering for the benefit of customers globally. The cargo carrier has performed charters for a variety of cargo including such as horses, cattle, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas products, art, concerts and exhibitions, machinery, mining and humanitarian relief goods.

Interest in milk and yoghurt based drinks on the rise in Indonesia

Heavy advertising in mass media, more television programmes as well as magazine articles focusing on health issues have led to rising awareness among Indonesian consumers of the benefits of drinking milk over the period 2011 to 2016, says Euromonitor.

Ultrajaya Milk Industry & Trading Company remains the leading player in drinking milk products with a 23% value share in 2016. Its flagship brand is called Ultra. The company's performance in flavoured milk drinks comes as a result of heavy marketing and improved distribution, Euromonitor said. 

Although already popular for its shelf-stable milk, Ultrajaya Milk Industry & Trading is still educating Indonesian consumers about the benefits of consuming liquid milk rather than powdered or condensed milk. In 2016, the company held many below-the-line event promotions, such as Tour de farm, centring around visits to the Ultrajaya farm in Bandung. In May 2016, it also held Preschool Roadshow Ultra Mimi Carafun in the city of Medan. 

Source: Ultra Mimi website. Pictures from an Ultra Mimi Carafun Roadshow held in February 2016.

Euromonitor notes that Indonesian milk consumption per capita is lower than in other emerging countries, so there is still room to grow. 

The yoghurt market is also growing, especially among middle- and high-income consumers, particularly women, Euromonitor said, as it isbeing aggressively promoted in the mass media as offering nutritional benefits and aiding digestion. Female consumers are increasing their consumption of such products as they believe that yoghurt can help them maintain a slim figure, improve their skin and slow the ageing process, the research firm notes. Sour milk drinks, mainly targeted at children, are preferred by some parents compared to flavoured milk drinks, as they typically contain good bacteria for digestion.

In 2016, Yakult Indonesia Persada PT with dominated the yoghurt and sour milk market with its Yakult drinking yoghurt, which had a 69% value share, Euromonitor said. Yakult’s value share gain in 2016 comes down to improved distribution, via both retail channels and Yakult Ladies - Yakult employees who deliver Yakult drinks directly to customers in Indonesia. Apart from the growing number of Yakult Ladies promoting the brand not only in residential areas but also in schools, Yakult Indonesia Persada has also benefited from the rapid expansion of modern retailers in Indonesia, especially convenience stores, hypermarkets and supermarkets.

Yoghurt and sour milk products is likely to continue to benefit from growing health awareness, particularly among middle- to upper-income consumers, Euromonitor predicts. The increasing number of health-conscious consumers is expected to result in the expansion of yoghurt and sour milk products’ consumer base over the forecast period (2016 to 2021). Manufacturers are likely to continue to invest heavily in educating consumers about the health benefits of yoghurt and sour milk products.

Interested?

Read the Euromonitor report on Dairy in Indonesia

TechSci Research sees potential in organic dairy market

Increasing health consciousness, an expanding urban population base and growing consumer spending on organic products will drive the global organic dairy products market through to 2021, says TechSci Research, a research-based global management consulting firm.

Global Organic Dairy Products Market By Product Type, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 - 2021 predicts that the global market for organic dairy products will grow at a CAGR of over 11% during the 2016-2021 forecast period. The forecast is based on anticipated expanding product portfolios, easy availability of organic dairy products, robust distribution networks, rising Internet penetration and aggressive marketing strategies adopted by major companies.

Organic drinking milk, organic yoghurt, organic cheese, organic butter, organic milk powder and organic probiotics are the major segments in global organic dairy products market, with organic drinking milk and organic yoghurt dominating the market, globally. However, on the back of attributes such as increasing immunity, energy, mental strength, reduction in risk of cancer and chronic fatigue and cure for irritable bowel syndrome intestinal homeostasis, demand for organic probiotics is expected to witness the fastest growth in global organic dairy products market.

Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research listed various reasons why sales of organic dairy products are up across the globe:

• Rising awareness about health benefits associated with organic dairy products, 
• Increasing average household annual spending on dairy products, 
• Rapid urbanisation, 
• Easy accessibility of these products through retailers and online channels, 
• Changing consumer preferences, 
• Continuous developments in supply chain network and 
• Implementation of government initiatives to encourage farmers to switch to organic farming

"In addition, introduction of innovative organic dairy products such as energy based milk drinks, flavoured organic milk drinks and a variety of organic yogurt and other organic dairy products are expected to further propel growth in global market for organic dairy products through 2021,” said Chechi.

Organic Valley, Omsco, Whitewave, and Aurora Organic Dairy are few of the brands operating in global organic dairy products market.