Arla Foods, the company that makes Dano Milk, has empowered smallholder dairy farmers in Kaduna with money and training as part of its commitment to advancing local dairy development in Nigeria. This initiative is called the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) program.
A five-year program called “Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria” (ALDDN) is being carried out in collaboration with Sahel Consulting and other private sector businesses to spark a thriving local dairy industry that benefits smallholder dairy farmers’ livelihoods, productivity, nutrition, and empowerment as well as the communities where they live.
Speaking at a ceremony to hand out the first batch of milk cans to 30 farmers in Kaduna State’s Gadan Gayan Community, Arla Foods’ Dairy Site Manager, Ewarts Samuel, stated that the program’s main goals are to increase demand for locally sourced milk from smallholder dairy households, empower women dairy farmers, and boost productivity among smallholder dairy farmers.
He revealed that the program had just purchased 900 milk cans for distribution to Nigeria’s smallholder dairy farmers. These cans are supposed to help preserve the milk that the farmers send in and ensure that it is of the highest quality and is handled with care while being transported.
“Arla is currently partnering with the local dairy farmers by offtaking their milk through our plant that is located in Kaduna State, where the milk is processed into yogurt under the MILCOPAL brand. Under the ALDDN program, Arla also facilitates training programs for smallholder dairy farmers and provides funding support for certain key endeavours,” Samuel said.
According to Ahmed Mohammed, Project Assistant at Sahel Consulting, the relationship with Arla Foods is intended to change the Nigerian agricultural and nutritional landscape.
“We are excited to be part of this partnership as this would help a great deal in addressing food security, malnutrition, and unemployment which will, in turn, drive economic growth and prosperity for families, communities, and Nigeria in general,” Mohammed said.
