FrieslandCampina Records 40,000 Litres Daily Fresh Milk Collection
FrieslandCampina WAMCO, has announced an all-time high record of 40 tons (40,000 litres) daily fresh milk collection in the country through its Dairy Development Programme (DDP).
Ben Langat, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Lagos, as part of the company’s commemoration of the World Milk Day 2020.
World Milk Day is an international day established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to recognise the importance of milk as a global food.
It has been observed yearly on June 1 globally; milk is packed with important nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, B vitamins, potassium and vitamin D, and is an excellent source of protein.
Langat said, “We have been making steady progress in our commitment to the development of Nigeria’s dairy sector through our Dairy Development Programme.
“Our efforts are yielding good results as we continue to keep our promise of providing nourishing dairy nutrition to millions of Nigerians.”
” FrieslandCampina WAMCO is taking local milk sourcing to the next level.
“We are currently expanding our DDP footprints by intensifying capacity building and constructing more milk collection centres, with the latest in Niger and Kwara States.
“A major investment is our new ultra-modern yogurt plant specific for raw milk utilisation,” he said.
Langat added that the company had accelerated dairy development in Nigeria by establishing farmer cooperatives and initiated partnerships with non-profit organisations, academic institutions including 2Scale/IFDC, and National Animal Production Research Institute.
Also, Mrs Ore Famurewa, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, said the company was the first dairy company to collect over 40,000 litres of fresh milk per day from local farmers.
Famurewa said that FrieslandCampina WAMCO had taken its thriving DDP, which it started with pastoralists in local communities in Oyo State, and replicated it across other states.
“In addition to Oyo State where we started the Dairy Development Programme 10 years ago, we have expanded our investments and operations to Ogun, Osun, Kwara and Niger States, especially in the last three years and have networked over 7,000 dairy farmers.
“We remain committed to the goals of sustainable development, including poverty reduction, women empowerment in the dairy sector and beyond as envisioned by the Federal Government.
“Our crossbreeding programme is yielding good results with over 400 F1 cows born to farms of local dairy farmers.
“We have developed dairy farms feeds to ensure all year round pasture for the cows and continued with our biannual Farmer2Farmer programme, facilitated by Dutch dairy experts,” Famurewa said.
According to her, under its Dairy Development Programme, the company has transformed the mindset, productivity and livelihood of both male and female dairy farmers across five states where it operates the DDP.
Famurewa added that in its response to the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among its DDP volunteers and extension workers, FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s mitigation strategy had been to consistently create awareness about the pandemic and what to do.
Commenting, John Adekunle, DDP Manager, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, said the organisation sensitised its farmers on the hazards and symptoms of the coronavirus disease.
Adekunle added that sensitisation was enhanced on what to do to keep safe and healthy, and the need for personal responsibility to protect the farmers and their family against the virus.
He noted that the company, in its commitment to health and safety management, rolled out COVID-19 safety measures across its grass to glass process; provided nose masks to staffs and farmers.
Adekunle added that the organisation also enforced the washing of hands at various milk collection centres, taking body temperature checks and practicing of physical distancing, as preventive measures against COVID-19.
FrieslandCampina Records 40,000 Litres Daily Fresh Milk Collection
