By Frank Momoh
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), is partnering FrieslandCampina WAMCO, for increase in local content in dairy production in Nigeria.
This is line with the policy of the Office on local content promotion for the acceleration of Nigerians technology development.
Speaking at a one day sensitization workshop on Dairy Development Project, held in Bayero University Kano (BUK) for the North-eastern part of Nigeria, the Director General of NOTAP, Dan-Azumi Mohammed Ibrahim, who was represented by the Director Consultancy Services department, Dr. Adamu Tandama, said the partnership was necessitated by the need to align with government’s directive on local content development.
The DG, who was quoted in a statement signed by Mr. Raymond Ogbu, on behalf of the Head of Media, said that the Dairy project was introduced as a result of collaboration between the Office and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria on how local value addition to milk produced in Nigeria and ensure availability of milk for our teeming population.
He stated that Nigerian have large number of cows roaming about but produces little quantity of milk whereas some developed countries such as Netherlands and Vietnam with high technology on dairy project have small number of cows but produce large quantity of milk.
Ibrahim further stated that FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc, has been operating in Nigeria for over six decades, yet the technology responsible for quality and high milk yield still resides in their parent company.
The NOTAP boss further stated that in order to ensure technology transfer in dairy industry, the Office in 2013 opened discussion with Friesland Campina Wamco to establish mini milk collection centers in Ibadan, Oyo state. He added that the company built a settlement for the Fulani herders, ranchedtheir cows and introduced them to the global best practices in growing cows and milking processes which has turned to a lucrative business.
He said that the company had built a very successful global dairy programme and that Nigeria has the potential to do well in dairy development if well managed.
He revealed that the partnership had ensured that in every cup of milk you take in Nigeria today, there is 2 percent local content with the intention of gradual increase.
The representative of FrieslandCompina Wamco, Dr. Akinade Adebayo Samson in a virtual presentation said that there are huge economic benefits in diary business as entrepreneurs could make money through sale of cow milk for production of Peak milk, yoghurts, cow cheese, leather, and meat.
He said that the company had empowered over 20 thousand farmers in Nigeria through technology transfer on global trends in dairy production, adding that FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc had established functional milk collection centers in Oyo State where farmers and their cows are kept in a cluster and the cows are fed adequately to produce enough milk.
He said the company is a multinational manufacturing company, affiliated to the Royal Friesland Campina of the Netherlands, the largest dairy cooperative in the world with 19006 cooperative farmers. He added that Nigeriahas large number of cows but they are not hybrid with high milk production, hence the assistance offered to Nigerian farmers on artificial insemination.
Adebayo further informed the gathering that although FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc buys over 40 thousand liters of raw milk from Nigerian Dairy farmers at the collection centers daily, its target was to hit 100 thousand liters of milk daily.
He said that the Company had started building more collection centers across the country especially in States with have proximity to the production center.
