Dairy farmers in Kano have said that the outspan dairy value chain investments has boosted their productivity.
The farmers attested to the impact of the business’ backward integration investment during the 2024 World Milk Day activities held in Kano recently.
Outspan Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Olam food ingredients (ofi), initiated a backward integration programme in the dairy value chain in 2019.
In partnership with the Kano Dairy Cooperative Union, the business embarked on investment targeted at raising dairy farmers’ capacities, improving milk collection and storage facilities around farming clusters and scaling up cattle health support.
The efforts triggered improved herd productivity and lowered the rate of open grazing which previously had led to conflict between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.
Hassan Muhammed Imam, a senior lecturer at the Kano State Polytechnic and technical assistant to the senior assistant to the state governor on cooperative groups, said the partnership of Outspan Nigeria into the Kano dairy value chain has enabled dairy farmers to settle in one place and reduce unnecessary movement of herds which previously created a dispute between the Fulani herdsmen and local farmers.
“Conflict issues between the herdsmen and farmers have been in existence for decades. The intervention of the business has ensured the herdsmen can access feed for their cattle without roaming around farmlands. This arrangement has led to harmony in the communities,” Imam said during the event.
Similarly, the efforts have helped raise dairy farmers’ wives’ incomes and ensure more of their children are attending school.
According to Salisu Dahiru, a dairy farmer and the financial secretary for Kano Dairy, before the coming of Outspan into Kano Dairy Cooperative Kano used to have a lot of crises in its localities. However, since 2019 and 2020, after the partnership with the business, the crises have declined by an average of 75 percent.
“The business provided us with feed that reduced grazing. They also train us on how to raise dairy herd productivity,” he said.
Dahiru added that in the past wives of dairy farmers in Kano hawked their milk in the local markets, however, he noted that after the partnership with Outspan Nigeria, the women now sell directly to the company and now spend more time at home.
Speaking at the event, Chioma Eze, dairy sales manager, B2B, for Outspan Nigeria, remarked, “It has been five years since we embarked on this journey with Kano Dairy Cooperative Union, and we are very pleased to see the results of all our hard work come to fruition.
Additionally, she said what began as a small pilot project has now grown into a successful venture.
Praveen Paulsamy, vice president of ofi’s dairy business in Nigeria, who was also present at the event, said the company is committed to the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We will continue to consider opportunities that enable quality investments in developing the local dairy value chain to drive more productivity in dairy farming communities,” Paulsamy said.
