Mr.Han Tellegen

EVOLVE:Please share brief synopsis about the roadmap of your career and also elaborate about Dairy Training Centre?Han: As an educational entrepreneur, I know how to reach the best results. I have gained a lot of experience in international educational business over the years. I am considered as a trustworthy and capable team player with high leadership skills. Also, I have worked for several training institutions, I am experienced in the field of coaching and the transfer of knowledge. During my 30 years of work experience most of the assignments deal with training, coaching and teaching of students, advisors, managers and teachers in topics like leadership and management, cooperative development, activating didactics, training-of-trainers programs, extension development, etc. I am active on the worldwide market in livestock and milk processing. Assessments and audits in Turkey, China, Kenya, Ethiopia on educational dairy programs. I am setting up partnerships with div. Universities and colleges and private organizations on dairy (chain) development. In last 5 years, I have worked on 2 missions in Turkey, 6 in Kenya, 2 in Tanzania, 1 in Nigeria, China, Nepal and 6 missions in Ukraine and Poland.

Dairy Training Centre (DTC) is a leading, international centre for dairy training located in the Netherlands. DTC was established by the Netherlands Government in 1963 to help in developing the Dutch and International dairy sector. For over 50 years now DTC conducts international training programs, consultancy and capacity building alongside the implementation of projects all over the world. Currently, DTC offers short term international training programs in the Netherlands. The training programmes have the objective to build the capacity of mid-career professionals of governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and private companies world-wide, but with a focus on developing countries. DTC is demand driven and aims at meeting the needs of the trainees and their employers. Participants in DTC training can apply the skills and knowledge gained through the DTC training programmes immediately when they get home. DTC assures sustainable solutions for organisations and governments that have particular capacity building needs. Through all the courses and training programs of DTC entrepreneurship among the trainees is promoted. DTC has valued close linkages with livestock research, practical training institutes and other dairy sector stakeholders, both from the Netherlands and abroad. It has the objective to keep its training programs, trainers and lesson material up to date and in line with market demands. It becomes even more important in the future since knowledge and techniques change faster than ever before requiring also new skills and adjusted training programs.

DTC makes now the next step by establishing DTC Pakistan together with our pattern 360 Degrees, we are sure we can have more impact in joining each other in a cooperative way. We can arrange different groups and different kind of programs, in Pakistan and the Netherlands, short till long-term inclusive all the necessary organisational aspects like board and lodging on different levels, transport, translators, visa/flying tickets. Due to our experience we can handle these groups in a positive and effective way.

EVOLVE: Do you think sustainable farming methods have been instrumental in growth and industrialization of dairy farms?

Han: Sustainable farming methods will be one of the key issues in futural dairy farming in the West. We have to put all our efforts in this direction, to keep in order with climate control and environmental pollution and all kind of losses of nutrients. Besides that a quite number of growing of population in Africa and Asia will mean we have to find the real good mix between productivity and efficiency of our minerals, soil and other resources.

EVOLVE: How much has dairy farming changed in the past 30 or 40 years in Netherlands and around the globe?

Han: In the Netherlands there was an enormous boost in dairy farming, cows productivity was almost doubled and efficiency of crops was higher while mechanization and automatization went up in a very fast way. Nowadays already 1/3 of all dairy farmers are in the possession of robots for milking, some for feeding and data management has come up in a high speed.

EVOLVE: What are career development opportunities in dairy farming and what will you advice to the students?

Han: For students with good background there are good possibilities in the dairy developing countries in sense of managing large scale dairy farms, advisors to farmers and all kind of jobs in delivering services to farmers. Be careful that you are trained in a real practical way, farming is still a way of working and living and you have to make the difference on the ground in the reals situation of farmers.

EVOLVE: As you have gained experience in international educational business. How far are you successful in pursuing your goals?

Han: Lets other tell this, especially our former students, due to the number of thousands alumni of DTC through all these years, possessing now worldwide good possessions in dairy industry, we are proud of them and we really appreciate the fact that DTC was part of their success.

EVOLVE: There is a quest for A responsible food chain for future generations all over the world, what reforms are crucial in Pakistans dairy sector so that global investors can find potential in Pakistan?

Han: As you have started already some initiatives in Pakistan on the level of crop feeding, we believe that feeding is milking, meaning that the crop production and the management should be on the highest level to ensure the availability of qualitative good silage and feed is the basis for a sustainable farm (in dry periods), we also believe that the informal market will keep their position by taking measures and the quality of milk should be upgraded as soon as possible to give the consumers rights of good hygienic milk where they want to be paid for, we claim a quality based payment system of milk!

If you choose that way investors will see the deep investments (crops, milk quality) and will start joining in projects.

EVOLVE: Pakistan needs to establish bilateral trade with Netherlands in dairy and agriculture sector. What measures should Pakistans government take in this regard?

Han: The first step is to let people travel in an easier way, like VISA procedures and so on, second is that the government should come up with solid investment facilities for farmers for a low rent and a long period of back payment. Farming is a slow business in sense of speed in gaining profit. So long term loans for the deep investments like soil, housing, cash flow and short term loans for fast turn over in sense of feed and heifers.

EVOLVE: Besides your business, coaching and consultancy you have written publications and delivered lectures on Advisory methods, study groups and written bestseller hand book on Dairy Training Centre, collaborated with various universities, and a part of numerous missions in many countries around the world; is it what distinguishes you from rest?

Han: Our aim is to be different from the rest with two credos:

“Learning by doing and Seeing is believing”

It means for us that students/participants will only change their mind and accept other solutions not by the word and head but by the hands (performing) and by heart (by seeing things in another way). We believe that makes the difference in culture and attitude of the people.

EVOLVE: How do you appraise current political scenario in Pakistan?

Han: If it goes about openness and cooperation we are glad. If we see the treat of big nations to each other we pray for peace. We hope for bigger national programs in dairy towards the farmers and institutions.

EVOLVE: How is marketing effective in promoting dairy food industry?

Han: The best marketer is the participant of the training. So care for the best and highest quality in training and next participants will be standing at your door to be part of the training as well.

Therefore, make reports, videos of successful trainees in their daily farming situation to encourage others to come up as well.

EVOLVE Any message for the readers of EVOLVE Business Publication.

Han: Spend some time in the country on the farm, gives your feelings and thoughts space and admire the farmers in their upcoming business and support them in the way you can do it and probably together with DTC Pakistan.