The Value4Dairy Consortium led by FrieslandCampina has received $5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to boost productivity and sustainability of the Nigerian dairy sector.

The Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc., Ore Famurewa, made the disclosure in a statement on Monday, January 29, 2024 in Lagos.

“The $5 million grant received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will fund 50 per cent of the Consortium’s latest project, which is to advance systemic and sustainable local dairy production in Nigeria,” she said.

According to Famurewa, Value4Dairy Consortium launched in April 2021 is a collaboration of four strategic partners with expertise in various agri-related value chains.

It includes FrieslandCampina WAMCO; 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).

Famurewa noted that the private sector consortium had developed a model that represented a pathway toward a self-sufficient, competitive, climate-smart and locally managed dairy sector, starting with three self-sustaining dairy zones in Oyo, Osun and Abuja.

She said that these zones would 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 five million Nigerians.

“The consortium will leverage the partners’ expertise to provide local farmers access to the latest advancements in feed, breeding, sustainable farming practices, and routes to the market, enabling them to increase milk production at lower costs sustainably,” she said.

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Famurewa noted that while the programme focused on dairy sector transformation, it would also contribute to improving food security, raising farmer incomes, enhancing nutrition, reducing conflicts between herders and farmers.

She said the programme would also improve water access, and lower greenhouse gas emission intensity.

According to her, the programme is gender-intentional, as it includes dedicated interventions to empower women to participate in activities and earn additional income.

Also, Roger Adou, Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO said, “Together with our partners, FrieslandCampina WAMCO has created the largest dairy value chain in South-West Nigeria.

“With this project, we aim to further empower local farmers, increase milk production, and contribute to the nation’s agricultural prosperity,” he said.

The Star