Arla Foods has inaugurated its state-of-the-art dairy farm in Kaduna as part of the organisation’s efforts to ensure sustainable milk production in Nigeria.
The farm in Damau village, Kubau local government area, was inaugurated by the outgoing governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
The agricultural facility is also the first of its kind outside Northern Europe.
The 400-hectare farm will house 400 dairy cows, modern milking parlours and technology, grasslands and living facilities for 25 employees.
Designed to ensure optimum animal welfare and productivity, experts say the farm will be a showcase for sustainable milk production in Nigeria.
The farm is expected to produce 1.6 million kg of milk in 2024, with a target of 4 million kg annual production.
“The impact of this initiative on the local economy would be huge, so it’s a brilliant day for the Nigerian economy.
“It’s our sincere hope that the success of this initiative would be replicated across the country. Clearly, there is a lot of potential in the Nigerian agriculture sector,” the Ambassador of Denmark to Nigeria, Mr Sune Krogstrup, said at the farm’s inauguration.
The current structure of Nigeria’s local dairy industry enables it to supply less than 10 per cent of the country’s current demand for dairy.
Agricultural experts say this is a gap that is increasing exponentially.
Nigeria’s exploding population also creates an urgent long-term need for more and better access to nutritious food, and dairy will play an important part.
Arla Foods is a dairy company with around 8400 farmer owners in seven Northern European countries.
According to agricultural sector stakeholders, their entry into the Nigerian market signals the beginning of more extraordinary things to come in Nigeria’s dairy sector.
