To help the Nigerian dairy industry, the Value4Dairy Consortium, headed by FrieslandCampina, has received a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This was released in a statement on Monday by Ore Famurewa, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs at FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC.
According to Famurewa, the award will fund half of the Consortium’s most recent project, which intends to improve the sustainability and productivity of Nigeria’s dairy sector. According to the Consortium’s plan, three self-sufficient dairy zones would be established in Oyo, Osun, and Abuja.
With plans to eventually include 40,000 milk producers, these zones will act as centers for smallholders and pastoralists, providing training and support to 10,000 of them. Each dairy zone will have two milk collection stations, warehouses, and outlets with inputs for dairy farms, making it easier for FrieslandCampina WAMCO to turn collected milk into wholesome dairy products.
By giving local farmers access to innovations in feed, breeding, sustainable farming methods, and market routes, the project seeks to empower them and enhance milk production at a reduced cost. Beyond the transformation of dairy, the program aims to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, increase farmer incomes, improve nutrition, lessen disputes between farmers and herders, improve water access, and promote food security.
Famurewa highlighted the program’s intentional gender inclusion, which includes interventions to give women more control over their lives and opportunities for earning more money. Director of Global Dairy Development at FrieslandCampina, Jeroen Elfers, praised the Gates Foundation award for providing additional funding to expedite the project and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to constructing robust local dairy value chains.
The creation of the greatest dairy value chain in southwest Nigeria has been emphasized by the Consortium, according to Roger Adou, managing director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO. The project intends to boost milk production, empower local farmers even more, and advance the agricultural prosperity of the country.
The Value4Dairy Consortium was established in April 2021 and is made up of strategic partners FrieslandCampina WAMCO, URUS (a global leader in genetics, artificial insemination, and herd management systems), Barenbrug (a premier provider of grass and forage seeds), and Agrifirm (a global leader in crop farming and animal nutrition).
