'Spirit of the craftsman' needed to reshape the dairy industry

Field trips to the Netherlands are organized by the Sino-Dutch Dairy Development Center. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Netherlands' experience can be seen as an example of craftsman spirit. The concept of the "spirit of the craftsman" was introduced by Premier Li Keqiang during his government work report during the annual sessions of the nation's legislators and political advisers.

China's dairy product sector is rapidly growing. Sales of dairy products are expected to climb to $46.5 billion by 2016, up 66 percent from 2011, the market research firm Euromonitor International says.

However, the industry has for several years suffered a bad reputation after a string of tainted-baby-milk scandals. In 2008, six Chinese infants died and tens of thousands were hospitalized after drinking domestically produced milk powder contaminated by melamine.

A total of 30 registered "Cow Signals" masters, the first patch of such professionals in China, graduated from the Sino-Dutch Dairy Development Center. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]