- Experts Explore Role of Technology in Dairy Industry
Stakeholders in the dairy industry value chain have identified the role of technology in improving milk production processes from farm to market.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the Tetra Pak Lagos workshop, they called for increased investment in technology that would boost milk production.
The Managing Director, Tetra Pak West Africa, Oshiokamele Aruna, said there were huge opportunities in the diary industry, calling for technology application in milk extraction, transportation and storage.
“Technology is now a very important part of our lives. We are now in the fourth industrial revolution and Nigeria is already getting into the bandwagon even if it is not at the pace of other countries. We believe that the right nutrition, knowing the right breeds to use for generating milk, helping with transportation, storage are areas where we believe technology will help in managing the huge potential we have in the dairy industry,” he said.
“The first step is what we are doing, discussing the opportunities and we are committed to this. The consumption is very low in this part of the world. Our intention is to improve and increase that consumption. We believe this is a very good time to show how to come together with people in the industry and harness the opportunities we have in this vast industry.”
Aruna called on the government to review policies in order to encourage investment in the industry.
He said, “We need to review the policies related to the diary industry. Can we provide more infrastructure to help with transportation? When we milk the cows, we don’t have to worry that we will waste the milk and can preserve it. I believe these are the things we need and it will take some time for us to take advantage of these opportunities.
Speaking on the challenges and dairy safety issues in West Africa, the Technical Adviser, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mosunmola Umoru, said the dairy industry was the second largest segment in the food and beverage sector, saying it would require investment to bridge the production gap.
According to her, 570 tonnes milk produced per day in the country is too small considering the 1.7 million tonnes milk demand in the country.
She encouraged stakeholders to venture into intensive dairy farming augmented by the right technology.
The Marketing Director, Tetra Pak West Africa, Solomon Yu, said the development of innovation products that would suit consumers’ lifestyle was one of the ways to boost milk consumption in the country.
He said, “We are working with our customers to accelerate milk consumption in this region. Affordability is the greatest challenge affecting diary industry. In order to increase consumption, we need to make it more affordable. But also develop new innovative products that suit lifestyle of consumers.”