L&Z Farms signs MoU with agric ministry on sustainable dairy production

L&Z Integrated Farms Limited, Kano, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the development of local dairy production in Northern Nigeria.

In a short ceremony last week in Abuja, minister of agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, signed on behalf of the ministry, while chairman of L&Z Integrated Farms, Keith Richards and its managing director, M.D Abubakar, signed on behalf of their company.

According to Ogbeh, this represents part of the ministry’s public private partnership drive towards diversifying the economy and its commitment to long-term sustainability in food security as well as adding value and enhancing efficiency in the nation’s dairy sector.

Under the MoU, L&Z is making significant investments in knowledge-transfer and partnership with indigenous farmers that will provide technical training to help develop local dairy production. L&Z will also participate in pilot model farming at the existing Gwagwalada-Abuja grazing reserve, which will be made available to L&Z as part of this MoU.

L&Z will also train 10 sedentary model farmers in each state in Northern Nigeria on herd management, feeding programmes, artificial insemination, milk cycles, calving, etc. In addition, they will set up a milk supply chain structure from collection to retail, and collection and purchase guarantee of the model farmers’ milk.

The ministry will also facilitate the lease and development of 5,000 hectares of pasture in each Northern state using Napier grass (grazing reserves) and contracting the farming to qualified farmers from communities while L&Z and other partners  and research institutions will supervise production.

A decade ago in Kano by the Abubakar family, has focussed on the unmet potential of Nigeria’s natural resources by exploring cross breeding and modern methodology, with more traditional practices.

Through its innovative model of working directly with herdsmen, the farm has been providing a consistent milk market to more than 500 Fulani cattle herders in Kano.

Milk from their own herds plus that of the Fulani co-operatives has been distributed directly or used to produce ice cream, yoghourt and even commercially packaged Fura Da Nono, rising over time to become a household name, and one of the major suppliers for supermarket chains nationwide, including Shoprite