BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation (Nuffic), has flagged-off two-week diary value chain training for farmers, technologists and extension workers drawn FrieslandCamina WAMCO, OAU and Federal College of Animal Health Production and Technology, Ibadan.
The training was organised for 20 participants who would also train others in their various Institutions to improve breeding, production and genetics of the animal in diary value chain.
The theme of the training was “Strengthening Capacity for Institutional Staff & Lead Women along the Doing Value Chain in South Western Nigeria.” Speaking at the opening, the training Coordinator, Dr Bukola Oyebamiji, said Nigeria could produce enough milk for consumption and export in the next five years with planned, proactive, consistent and progressive actions.
Oyebamiji lamented on the level of milk production in this nation with two litres of milk daily whereas developing countries were getting almost 25 litres of milk in a ditch.
“We went out to conduct survey last year and we discovered that animals are still given two litres of milk, whereas in developing countries, you see animal producing 25 litres of milk in a ditch. But within the dairy value chain and focused on sustainable development, we will get a nexus between research, policy and practice in the dairy sector, for this is the only way to address the identified development gaps and move the country forward.
“And we believe that after this programme, our farmers and all the institutional Staff will understand how to improve breeding, production and the genetics of the animal using, promised to go more on practicals,” she said.
The guest lecturer, Prof. Saidu Oseni,
said United Kingdom and European Union in 2018 had similar projects on driving the development with a focus on the value chains for poverty alleviation.
Oseni commended the former Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina,
who introduced the dairy value chain concept for all the commodities in agriculture, saying was essential to drive production for value and wealth creation.
He said that the agricultural transformation agenda had the value chain as a bedrock and if there would be positive change in milk production, a lot still needs to be done.
“The purpose of this workshop is to train the trainer’s about the benefits, relevance and ultimately how to apply the value chain concert in this case for the reproduction. And all the wider ramifications in terms of income, value, product, diversification of enterprises would gain much in the.value chain, if effectively applied.”
The lecturer gave credit to Nuffic Netherlands for the sponsorship, saying that the participants were leaders in their own right, who would go back to the institutions to train others about harnessing all the benefits and opportunities embedded in the dairy sector.
He said that this would create more job in terms of revenue across a broad spectrum of individuals across the society with a focus on women of course.
Also, a lecturer in Innovative Diary Value Chain Management, Larenstein University, Netherland, Miss Nyasha Ngirande, said that Larenstein University was a knowledge institution in the North and Southern Netherlands.
According to her, the university provides knowledge for international business agricultural science for society, applied sciences, provide high quality research, skill and acquisition for the benefit of humanity.
Ngirande ascertained that the participants would benefit immensely on the innovation of dairy value chain which brought to them in the training through the interactive knowledge.
Earlier, the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, OAU, Prof Akinloye Farinde, said that the programme came at the right time that the nation needs the improvement on the production of milk for human consumption.
Farinde said that there were different challenges from animal production, especially rearing of cattle across the country.
He added that policy system must be active, sound and operating in diary value chain in Nigeria by assisting farmers in their production and marketing.
He charged Federal Government to rise up to its responsibility by implementing agricultural policy that would provide enabling and conducive environment for farmers on daily production, content as other developing countries are doing.
