By Jimoh Babatunde

The Vice President of   Outspan Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of  Olam food ingredients, Praveen Paulsamy, has reiterated the commitment of the company to the Federal Government’s food value chain and economic development agenda.

In a statement to mark this year’s World Food Day with the theme ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow, Paulsamy said the company has been implementing various Backward Integration Program initiatives in the dairy sector.

He said their initiative, tagged ‘Milk Mission’, combines a robust public-private partnership (PPP) strategy and unyielding focus on the Federal Government’s sectored development agenda to reposition the dairy sector.

“We are firmly focused on driving the actualization of the Federal Government’s food value chain and economic development agenda in the dairy sector. This valuable growth focus is critical to raising the food security level and stimulating economic growth in the country.

“Therefore, our current value chain development initiatives, especially the ‘Milk Mission’, encapsulate our absolute commitment to raising the productivity level in the dairy sector while engendering a performance scale that would push the sector towards fulfilling its economic contributory potential.

“All our BIP initiatives address the niggling issues such as low productivity level, poor cattle health, the dearth of wider cold chain services, inefficient logistics systems, and low exposure to modern agronomic practices which are stifling growth in the dairy sector”, he added.

Paulsamyadded  that Outspan Nigeria is partnering with the Kano Dairy and Livestock Husbandry
Cooperative Union (KADALCU) to execute its value chain development efforts.

“Through that partnership collaboration effort, the business has been able to locate four Milk Collection Centres (MCCs) close to the smallholder dairy farmers in Kano state. The centres are equipped with adequate cooling systems that are powered by off-grid equipment.

“It has also provided transportation and cooling systems to ensure the quality of the raw milk produced in the region is preserved and optimized for industrial use.

On the importance of milk and dairy products to efforts at allaying the threat of hunger and food
insecurity, Paulsamy said: “Milk and dairy products are high in macronutrients like carbohydrates, fats and proteins, as well as vital micronutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B12, calcium and magnesium.”