Arla Foods will train and suppt up to 1,000 local dairy farmers
Denmark-based dairy co-operative Arla Foods will build a state-of-the-art commercial dairy farm in Northern Nigeria. Arla Foods will train and suppt up to 1,000 local dairy farmers as part of its long term commitment to public-private partnerships that support the development of the Nigerian dairy sector as part of the country’s efforts to increase local food production.
Located in Kaduna State, the 200-hectare farm, scheduled to open in 2022, will house 400 dairy cows, modern milking parlours and technology, grasslands and living facilities for 25 employees. The facilities and expertise provided by Arla will ensure a first-class opportunity to train local dairy farmers to improve milk yields and quality, animal welfare, and farm profitability, contributing to the country’s aims to develop local milk production.
Over time, the farm is expected to produce over 10 tonne of milk per day which will be processed by Arla’s dairy plant in Kaduna State, to supply locally produced dairy products to Nigerian consumers.
Since 2017, Arla has been the lead business partner in a partnership to develop a sustainable dairy value chain in Nigeria together with The Danish Agricultural and Food Council, Danish Agricultural Knowledge Center Seges, Care Denmark, the Nigerian pastoralist organization CORET, and the dairy farm cooperative MILCOPAL. The Milky Way Partnership programme is supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The dairy farm will be led by Arla’s farm management expert Snorri Sigurdsson, who will also head up the training agenda.
