So, when Myanmar’s president Thein Sein dropped in this month for a visit, Shaw was ready to play the perfect host.
Sein and his 30-member entourage, including Myanmar journalists, spent an hour on the farm in Karaka, 38km from Auckland.
Shaw says the leader showed a lot of enthusiasm and asked lots of questions. “It’s hard to gauge how he felt but he asked a lot of questions,” he told Dairy News. “He was impressed with the technology we use on the farm.”
During the tour a Fonterra tanker pulled up to collect milk, impressing Sein with the technology used. “He saw the rigorous tests and measures in place to guard the integrity of the milk collection system. He also asked me a lot of questions on milk hygiene and it seems he was impressed by our standards.”
Sein told Shaw he owns 15 cows at home. It was the Myanmar president’s first visit to New Zealand, during which he met Fonterra chairman John Wilson and chief executive Theo Spierings.
The cooperative will open an office later this year in Myanmar. The meeting was to strengthen the relationship with Myanmar where it has sold dairy products for almost 20 years.
Wilson says Fonterra was pleased to welcome Sein to New Zealand and further his understanding of their business and the New Zealand dairy industry.
“We have a number of strong partnerships in place with Myanmar and we’re looking at how we can work together to grow our presence in the country to make high quality dairy more available and accessible to the country’s population,” he says.
