FrieslandCampina Secures $5 Million Grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Source: The DairyNews
FrieslandCampina, leading the Value 4 Dairy Consortium, has garnered a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to enhance productivity and sustainability in Nigeria's dairy sector.
The executive director of Corporate Affairs at FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Ore Famurewa, expressed that the grant would finance 50% of the consortium's latest project, aimed at advancing systemic and sustainable local dairy production in Nigeria.
Launched in April 2021, the Value4Dairy Consortium comprises four strategic partners specializing in various agri-related value chains: FrieslandCampina WAMCO, URUS, Barenbrug, and Agrifirm. Jeroen Elfers, the Global Dairy Development director at FrieslandCampina, highlighted the company's commitment to building resilient local dairy value chains and fostering the growth and development of Nigeria's dairy sector.
The grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will expedite the project, enabling the creation of a more robust program for transitioning towards a sustainable, self-sufficient, and inclusive dairy value chain in Nigeria, according to Elfers. Roger Adou, the Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, emphasized the aim of empowering local farmers, increasing milk production, and contributing to the nation's agricultural prosperity.
The private sector consortium has devised a model for developing self-sufficient, competitive, climate-smart dairy zones in Oyo, Osun, and Abuja. These zones will serve as training hubs, supporting pastoralists and smallholders, with a goal to expand to include 40,000 milk producers. Each Dairy zone will feature warehouses, outlets with dairy farming inputs, and two milk collection points, facilitating the aggregation of milk for processing by FrieslandCampina WAMCO. The consortium will leverage its partners' expertise to provide farmers access to advancements in feed, breeding, sustainable farming practices, and market routes, promoting increased milk production at lower costs sustainably.
Launched in April 2021, the Value4Dairy Consortium comprises four strategic partners specializing in various agri-related value chains: FrieslandCampina WAMCO, URUS, Barenbrug, and Agrifirm. Jeroen Elfers, the Global Dairy Development director at FrieslandCampina, highlighted the company's commitment to building resilient local dairy value chains and fostering the growth and development of Nigeria's dairy sector.
The grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will expedite the project, enabling the creation of a more robust program for transitioning towards a sustainable, self-sufficient, and inclusive dairy value chain in Nigeria, according to Elfers. Roger Adou, the Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, emphasized the aim of empowering local farmers, increasing milk production, and contributing to the nation's agricultural prosperity.
The private sector consortium has devised a model for developing self-sufficient, competitive, climate-smart dairy zones in Oyo, Osun, and Abuja. These zones will serve as training hubs, supporting pastoralists and smallholders, with a goal to expand to include 40,000 milk producers. Each Dairy zone will feature warehouses, outlets with dairy farming inputs, and two milk collection points, facilitating the aggregation of milk for processing by FrieslandCampina WAMCO. The consortium will leverage its partners' expertise to provide farmers access to advancements in feed, breeding, sustainable farming practices, and market routes, promoting increased milk production at lower costs sustainably.
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