Fonterra named world's No. 1 milk processor

New Zealand's Fonterra Co-operative Group has been ranked the No.1 milk processor in the world.

Global industry research group, International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), benchmarked 600 milk processors in over 70 countries and placed Fonterra's total annual volume of milk processed ahead of Dairy Farmers of America, Nestl‚, Dean Foods and FrieslandCampina.

Fonterra Brands Lanka's Managing Director Achyut Reddy said the ranking reflected the global reach and scale of the company's business, with its New Zealand milk supply and manufacturing operations at the core.

"We use New Zealand's best assets - fresh grass, clean air and healthy cows - to create some of the highest quality milk in the world. And, our scale allows us to deliver this to countries, such as Sri Lanka, where generations have grown up with Fonterra's products." said Reddy.

"Fonterra's recognition in global dairy rankings such as this, give our expertise in dairy further impetus."

Early this year, Fonterra Brands Lanka invested Rs 1.6 billion in a new yoghurt manufacturing plant at their Biyagama premises that will see the company further strengthen the local dairy industry and bring its New Zealand dairy expertise to Sri Lanka.

The plant procures an additional 8,000 litres of fresh raw milk daily from Sri Lankan dairy farmers, which will be processed into an extra six million cups of existing and new types of yoghurt for the Sri Lankan market in the first year.

Eventually, Fonterra expects to expand this and collect up to 40,000 litres of fresh milk daily, to help develop the local dairy industry.

Each year Fonterra Brands Lanka collects over 350,000 litres of milk from over 3,000 dairy farmers from the districts of Kurunegala, Nuwara Eliya and Horana to meet the local demand of processed and cultured milk.

Its farmer suppliers benefit from a farmer education program based on New Zealand's best practice including lessons in milk production, creating high quality pasture feeds, maintaining hygienic milk collection, building a profitable farm and ensuring a sustainable dairy production.