Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the strategic partnership of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, URUS, Barenbrug, and Agrifirm tagged Value4Dairy Consortium and their commitment to boost local dairy production will accelerate growth in the industry.
Osinbajo made this known at the recent virtual launch of the consortium.
“With FrieslandCampina WAMCO as the processor to deliver the end chain; this partnership will drive increased domestic consumption of processed milk and milk products and the expected industry growth,” said
the Vice President who was represented by Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment in a statement.
Speaking also during the launch, Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture also commended the consortium saying he is confident that it will drive inclusive engagement and positively influence the development of various national livestock initiatives at various levels of government.
He says the partnership is built on the companies’ global achievements and experiences with which they will accelerate sustainable dairy development to deliver high-quality nutrition for everyone involved in the value chain from farmer to consumer.
The consortium brings to the dairy sector specialized milk collection and processing – FrieslandCampina WAMCO), better breeding -URUS, proper roughage production – Barenbrug and fitting animal feed –Agrifirm to help integrate the country’s dairy sector, he said.
He added that it will also help formulate homegrown methods to solve challenges, which previously hindered growth.
According to these experts, however, the dairy development gains made by FrieslandCampina WAMCO in Nigeria still needs public sector collaboration to scale.
Speaking at the launch, Ben Langat, managing director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, said that his organisation has discussed with other partners ways to accelerate the progress made in the Nigerian dairy industry.
“Our goal is to invest in local business models to enable the dairy sector to become self-sufficient and profitable throughout the entire chain,” he said.
“Only a sector with a healthy return on investment can be self-sufficient and will survive in the long term. We are proud to state that these three professional companies with proven track records believe in developing the Nigerian dairy sector with FrieslandCampina WAMCO,” he further said.
“They are top of the global expertise in the dairy sector with proven performance and excellent reputation as well as maintain world leading market positions” Langat added.
The consortium is already working on steps that will increase local milk production and processing; which will include combined infrastructures for the distribution of milk and semen.
They will train farmers to succeed more with better cow semen, grass seeds, and feed supplements.
The business model along the entire dairy chain is expected to become more efficient and attractive to further investments; with the ultimate ambition of promoting a thriving and self-sustaining dairy sector
SOURCE: BUSINESS DAY
