FrieslandCampina led consortium has received 5 million dollars grant to boost productivity and sustainability of the Nigerian dairy sector.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Ore Famurewa said, the Value4Dairy consortium launched in April 2021 is a collaboration of four strategic partners with expertise in various agri-related value chains: FrieslandCampina WAMCO (a subsidiary of FrieslandCampina and Nigeria’s leading dairy company); URUS (a global leader in artificial insemination, genetics, and herd management systems), Barenbrug (a leading grass and forage seed company), and Agrifirm (a global company that operates in animal nutrition and crop farming).
The private sector consortium has developed a model that represents a pathway towards a self-sufficient, competitive, climate-smart and locally managed dairy sector, starting with three self-sustaining dairy zones in Oyo, Osun and Abuja. These zones will serve as hubs for training and supporting 10,000 pastoralists and smallholders, growing to include 40.000 milk producers in the subsequent years.
Each Dairy zone will have a warehouse, outlets with dairy farming inputs, and two milk collection points, where FrieslandCampina WAMCO will collect the aggregated milk for processing into nutritious dairy products to feed more than 5 million Nigerians” he explained.
According to Famurewa, the programme also focuses on dairy sector transformation, it will also contribute to improving food security, raising farmer incomes, enhancing nutrition, reducing conflicts between herders and farmers, improving water access, and lowering greenhouse gas emission intensity. Additionally, the programme is gender-intentional, as it includes dedicated interventions to empower women to participate in activities and earn additional income.
Roger Adou, Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO said FrieslandCampina is committed to empowering local farmers, increase milk production, and contribute to the nation’s agricultural prosperity.”