São Paulo – An initiative in Alagoas has ambitious plans for local dairy producers: it aims to make them into the main sector exporters in Brazil. "We have 36,000 dairy producers,” said the president of the Alagoas Dairy Production Cooperative (CPLA), Aldemar Monteiro, in a demonstration of the state’s potential. The cooperative is behind a project to improve the trade and production of dairy in Alagoas, which began early last year.
First of all CPLA decided to help small producers to organize themselves for trade. Associations were established in communities and shared dairy tanks were purchased, to bring collect at least 2,000 litres, making collection by lorry possible. During the process, the cooperative noticed that the farmers also needed another kind of aid, and started providing them with information regarding milking, which is manual, palm and maize cultivation, for use in the feeding of the animals, and even arithmetic, for better control of finances.
"Farmers who got 0.50 Brazilian real per litre of milk now make 0.75 Brazilian real, and when they tell you this, they are touched. And that took place exclusively with the organisation of farmers,” said Monteiro. And it is CPLA that absorbs production of these farmers and makes pasteurized milk, yoghurt and cheese at 16 dairy production units in the state. The products carry the CPLA name. The milk is collected in 52 community tanks, filled by 3,000 farmers, and the animal breeds are varied, from Girolando to Fresian.
Average production per head in the state, according to Monteiro, is 3.5 litres of dairy a day. To the CPLA president, this volume, which is still low, may grow significantly, boosting sector production. "In the United States, the average is 19 litres of milk, in Europe, 33 to 34 litres of milk,” said Monteiro. Of the 36,000 producers in the state, 90% are small, according to the farmer from Alagoas, stressing that if the sector receives incentives it may become the main Brazilian exporter. CPLA currently processes 150,000 litres of dairy a day, but may work on up to 300,000 a day.
To increase dairy production and buy from an even larger number of farmers, the cooperative plans to create a drying unit, where it will be able to produce 200,000 litres of powdered milk a day. In August, according to Monteiro, a team should travel to Argentina to learn about similar products. The objective is to produce powdered milk next year. The target is, then, to sell it to other states, like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and even to export. Currently all production stays in Alagoas.
To take the project further, CPLA and producers count on a partnership with some organisations, like the Agriculture and Agrarian Development Secretariat of the State of Alagoas and the state chapter of the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae).
Contact
CPLA – Cooperativa de Produção Leiteira de Alagoas – Alagoas Dairy Production Cooperative
Telephone: (+55 82) 3336-9300
Email: aldemar@cpla.coop.br
*Translated by Mark Ament