The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and FrieslandCampina WAMCO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed to strengthen the country’s dairy value chain.
In a statement, Mohammed Abdullahi Gana, the Director for Information said that the MOU will see to the strengthening of the dairy industry, noting that it will also help to transform the nomadic cattle herders into sedentary dairy farmers through the provision of required infrastructure and training in the Dairy Value Chains.
According to him, as part of the agreement, “The Ministry will set up crossbreeding centers to produce quality heifers and strengthen the capacity of pastoralists and smallholder dairy farmers to produce and supply raw milk to increase the market share of locally produced milk as well as create employable labour and expansion of investments opportunities for farmers’ prosperity”.
He lauded the FrieslandCampina WAMCO for its commitment towards efforts aimed at accelerating growth in the Dairy value chain in Nigeria.
On his part, Ben Langat, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, stated that “the initial MOU established a structure and model for dairy development in Nigeria. It brought to focus the urgent need to put in place the right infrastructure and expertise that will support local milk sourcing in Nigeria”.
He noted that under the MOU, both parties will provide a networking environment for 30,000 cattle herders and transform dairy farming practices by introducing improved techniques and provide farmers with extension services to enhance raw milk quality and farm productivity.