A celebration marking the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Nestle's Dairy Farming Institute in China was held in the Shuangcheng district of Harbin, in northeastern Heilongjiang province, on Oct 31.

The DFI is an advanced training facility designed to support and promote the transformation and modernization of China’s dairy farming industry.

The center was completed in October 2014 and includes a training center and a large-scale dairy farm.

Officials said it provides world-class training and farm practice facilities for dairy industry practitioners across the country -- in partnership with leading universities and universities in the world.

Rashid Qureshi, chairman and CEO of Nestle Greater China, announced at the celebration that another investment of 14 million yuan ($1.98 million) would be made by his group to expand the dairy farm.

It is estimated that by the end of 2020, the number of dairy cows in the farm will reach 2,100, further supporting the demand for fresh milk from Nestle’s factory in Shuangcheng, company officials said.

Nestle has been committed to promoting the sustainable development of local agriculture and farming communities in Shuangcheng through the “company plus farmers” model developed by the DFI.

The company said the DFI has been providing various training and technical assistance to dairy farmers in Shuangcheng.

Over a five-year period, the unique DFI operation has reportedly attracted the attention of domestic and foreign industry professionals and experts. It has received more than 3,000 important visitors and groups from 35 countries to conduct technological exchanges and negotiate cooperation, officials said.

Also, to date, the DFI has conducted more than 280 training sessions to educate more than 10,000 students -- including dairy farmers, technicians and college students -- in related fields.

Officials added that in the future, the DFI will continue to respond to the national dairy industry revitalization policy and expand its business cooperation model.

“From the aspect of curriculum design, technology, marketing activities and projects, the DFI will deepen its win-win cooperation with business partners and talent and its demonstrations of dairy farming,” said Zhang Zhendong, general manager of the DFI.