Baladna Signs an Agreement
Baladna announces it has signed agreement
Baladna Engages IFC to Rebuild Dairy Supply Chains and Strengthen Food Security in Syria
World Bank Group's private sector arm to advise on restoring smallholder dairy value chains in a fragile, conflict-affected setting
Doha, Qatar: April 26, 2026
Baladna Food Industries, a leading regional dairy producer headquartered in Qatar, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, have entered into an advisory engagement focused on supporting the recovery of Syria’s dairy sector as part of broader efforts to strengthen food security, rural livelihoods, and job creation in a fragile and conflict-affected setting.
Through this engagement, IFC will work with Baladna to assess on-the-ground supply conditions, including milk production capacity, aggregation potential, logistics constraints, and compliance with environmental and social standards. The work will also examine demand, processing requirements, and market structure to help determine whether a sustainable, investment-ready dairy value chain can be rebuilt at scale. The engagement is expected to be phased, beginning with analytical and field-based assessments and advancing, where feasible, toward practical supply-chain models suited to Syria’s current context.
“Rebuilding food systems in fragile environments requires patience, discipline, and a willingness to start with fundamentals. This collaboration with IFC reflects our belief that smallholder farmers must be part of any durable recovery. By grounding potential future investments in practical realities on the ground, we aim to help restore domestic dairy production in a way that supports nutrition, creates jobs, and delivers long-term value.”
Marek Warzywoda | Group Chief Executive Officer, Baladna
The advisory engagement reflects Baladna’s approach to food security investments: combining technical and operational expertise with a long-term perspective, even in challenging markets. The work also places strong emphasis on upstream supply, farmer participation, and system resilience.
“In fragile and conflict-affected settings, restoring domestic food production is both a development and an economic priority. This partnership is a great example of what we mean by AgriConnect — building direct, practical links between smallholder farmers, market infrastructure, and private sector investment, so that farmers are active participants in resilient, inclusive value chains. It also demonstrates the importance of private sector partners that are willing to engage responsibly in difficult markets, with a focus on inclusion and sustainability.”
Wagner Albuquerque | IFC Regional Industry Director, Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services
Syria remains one of the most food-insecure countries globally, with years of conflict severely disrupting domestic food production and smallholder farming systems. Dairy, an essential source of nutrition and income, has been particularly affected. The advisory engagement aims to address these challenges by examining how small and medium-sized dairy farmers can be reintegrated into structured, commercially viable supply chains.
Dairy value chains are among the most employment-intensive segments of the agri-food sector, particularly in rural areas. By strengthening linkages between farmers, processors, and markets, the sector can play a critical role in generating income, improving access to affordable nutrition, and supporting community-level recovery.
The advisory engagement also reflects IFC’s holistic approach in fragile and conflict-affected settings, focused on market diagnostics, risk reduction, and capacity building to support responsible private sector solutions. In this context, the work aims to facilitate South–South private sector engagement, helping regional companies contribute expertise, capital, and long-term partnerships to rebuilding critical production systems in challenging environments.
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About Baladna Food Industries
Baladna Food Industries is a Qatar-based dairy and food company with a fully integrated farm-to-market model, spanning livestock farming, dairy processing, and distribution. The company has developed large-scale, purpose-built dairy operations built around food safety, biosecurity, efficient resource use, and high-quality nutritional products, and plays an important role in supporting regional food security and self-sufficiency through operational excellence, innovation, and long-term partnerships.
www.baladna.com
Baladna Q.P.S.C.