Dairy produce now the focus at Ilimo Farm

THE Ilimo Farm in Central is to begin producing dairy products by October this year, according to Innovative Agro Industries chairman Ilan Weiss.
Weiss said there were plans to have a visitor centre to provide information about how fresh milk and dairy products were produced.
He said the health benefits of fresh milk were largely unknown to some Papua New Guineans. The centre is to educate school children about the importance of drinking a glass of milk a day.
“Cows’ milk has long been associated with good health, making it one of the most consumed beverages in the United States and Europe,” he said.
Dairy products like milk are one of the richest sources of calcium.
Calcium has many functions in the body but its primary job is the development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth.
Calcium is also important for blood clotting and wound healing, maintaining normal blood pressure, and muscle contractions including heartbeat.
Cow’s milk is also a source of potassium, which can enhance vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) and reduce blood pressure.
Increasing potassium intake and decreasing sodium can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study led by Dr Mark Houston, director of the Hypertension Institute at the St Thomas Hospital in Tennessee.
“Ilimo Farm is also looking at packaging snack-size portions of fresh milk at an affordable rate, to make the health benefits of fresh milk more accessible to every Papua New Guinean,” Weiss said.