The Northern province of Bac Ninh has decided to splash out more than VND 420 billion (USD 18.5 million) on a school milk program for more than 557,000 pre-school and primary pupils during 2017-2020.

Of the total, VND 210 billion (USD 9.25 million) will come from the provincial budget, some VND 105 billion (USD 4.62 million) by milk supplying businesses and VND 105 billion (USD 4.62 million) from parents. Disadvantaged students will receive free milk.

Per the program, pre-school and primary school students will receive three 180ml milk bottles per week for nine months.

In the 2017-2018 academic year, some 139,000 local children, including more than 94,000 pre-school children and 44,000 primary students, will benefit from the program.

The school milk program was launched nationwide on September 28, 2016. It targets providing all pre-school children and elementary pupils in poor districts with milk by 2020, meeting 90-95 percent of their energy demand and increasing the heights of school boys and girls by 1.5 and 2 centimeters, respectively.

As many as 60 countries worldwide have responded to World School Milk Day launched by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, the UK and Thailand./.

VNF