FrieslandCampina WAMCO commissions 4.3m-litre capacity plant in Oyo

Nigeria’s dairy maker FrieslandCampina WAMCO has today commissioned its milk collection plant in Saki, Saki West Local Government Area of Oyo State. The plant has the capacity to hold 12,000 litres of raw milk daily and 4.32 million litres annually.

This is FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s fifth milk collection plant in Oyo and will see over 10,000 small-holder  farmers participate in the process and earn good income,said the company.

Through its Dairy Development Programme(DDP), the dairy maker has been collecting milk from over 70 communities and 7,200 farmers in Oyo State since 2011.

With this plant, FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s daily milk collection capacity in Oyo State is 40,000 litres.

“Our company has taken a strategic and comprehensive approach to developing the DDP, focusing on key projects, programme content and enabling facilities,” said Ben Langat, managing director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO.

“But these investments must be supported by policies and socio-economic infrastructures to realise a robust dairy farming sector that can serve over 180 million Nigerians,” Langat said.

He said milk production in Nigeria was still low, adding the DDP could boast of quality milk and empowerment of 900 women.

He said the plant would further reduce the distance covered to deliver milk for bulking and help manage quality before the milk was transported to the factory.

Ore Famurewa, corporate affairs director, said:”Our DDP model has proven to be successful, hence in February 2017, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Sahel Capital &Advisory and the Oyo State Government signed an MoU to collaborate on the Nigeria Dairy Development. The programme aims to strengthen the Dairy Transformation Agenda of the government by demonstrating proof-of-scale in Nigeria’s processor-led initiatives for dairy development as modelled by FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s DDP.”

Odinaka Anudu