At the 14th Dairy Olympics, an international conference event addressing region-relevant dairy topics is being held this year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where the DLG (German Agricultural Society) will be contributing with its dairy know-how and management as well as farm equipment expertise.
DLG’s two world-leading Germany-based exhibitions, Agritechnica, the international agricultural machinery exhibition, and EuroTier, the trade fair for animal farming and livestock management, will feature as partners with a contributing expert participating in the conference program 21-26 May.
Designated as an official «Agritechnica on Tour» stop, which explores regional farm machinery topics, the Dairy Olympics is expected to attract 400 visitors from neighboring countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as international experts.
The venue of Uzbekistan is interesting as it is not only one of the most populous countries in Central Asia but also one of the youngest. Agriculture plays an important role in the overall economy, employing over a quarter of the workforce, with a government program seeking to reform the sector, using modern genetics, production methods and a consistent feed system. Water management is a major challenge and the country is still coping with the legacy of its recent past. Some 27 million hectares of arable land represent 63 percent of Uzbekistan’s total land area.
The five-day event not only explores the Uzbek dairy sector in-depth but also discusses the role of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as future importers and self-sufficient markets, as well as the position of Turkey in the region. Current technological, social and humanitarian challenges in the industry will be topics of discourse throughout the conference, a highlight of which will be the DLG’s expert contribution, entitled “Crises and sustainability policies: impact on dairy farming” and presented by Dr. Olga Hunger, Area Director Eastern Europe, DLG.
Conference program and farm visits
The conference, which takes place annually in locations across the region, attracts leading market experts, technology providers, milk producers and dairy companies, as well as representatives from professional institutions. Attendees can take advantage of some 30 presentations, covering diverse topics across the dairy industry, as well as access to invited experts from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) of Belgium and the Livestock Exporters Association of the USA. Visits to dairy farms and milk processing companies in the Tashkent region are also part of the program. «As a strategic partner of the Dairy Olympics, the EuroTier and Agritechnica trade fairs will be contributing to the program with practical know-how», explains Dr. Hunger. «The aim of Agritechnica and EuroTier’s organizer, the DLG, is to share professional knowledge across borders. This is a the perfect example of that», she adds.
