The Kaduna State Government says it will sustain gains recorded under the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme through improved feed production and livestock development initiatives.
Dr. Ibrahim Yusuf, Managing Director, Kaduna Ranch Development Company Ltd., disclosed this at the ALDDN State-Level Close-Out Event in Zaria on Wednesday.
Yusuf said: “The company, which drives dairy development in Kaduna, is integrating lessons from the programme into the state’s sustainability framework, particularly in feed production and livestock productivity.”
He said ensuring the availability of quality livestock feed throughout the year remains a major concern, adding that feed production was among the key areas addressed under ALDDN.
The managing director said the state plans to achieve year-round feed production through the revitalisation of grazing reserves across Kaduna and improved pasture development.
“The company is currently working on 600 hectares of the Damau Grazing Reserve in Kubau Local Government Area to boost pasture and livestock feed production.
“Of the 600 hectares of grazing reserve, the company has started working on 110 hectares for the production of high-quality feeds for livestock in the state.
“This is part of the sustainability framework of the state, in addition to robust collaboration with key stakeholders such as L-PRES and NAPRI,” he said.
Also speaking, Alhaji Murtala Mohammed-Dabo, Commissioner for Agriculture, represented by the Director of Livestock Services, Mr. Amwe Akos, said the government would sustain key gains recorded under ALDDN.
Akos said successful ALDDN interventions would be incorporated into the state’s livestock development programmes to ensure continuity beyond the programme’s close-out.
He added that some of the initiatives had already been captured in the state’s proposed 2027 budget, demonstrating government’s commitment to sustaining the programme’s achievements.
Similarly, Mr. Temi Adegoroye, Managing Partner, Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd., said ALDDN was targeting 15,000 dairy households and 120,000 beneficiaries across seven states.
Adegoroye said the five-year programme, funded by the Gates Foundation and implemented by Sahel Consulting in partnership with state governments and dairy processors, built on the Nigerian Dairy Development Programme.
According to him, ALDDN was designed to catalyse a vibrant and inclusive local dairy sector by improving productivity, nutrition, empowerment, and livelihoods among smallholder women dairy farmers.
He said the programme was implemented in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Taraba through processor-led interventions tailored to the needs of participating communities.
Adegoroye said the programme pursued five key objectives, including promoting an enabling environment for local milk sourcing and increasing demand for locally produced milk from smallholder households.
He said other objectives included improving farmers’ access to technical support and inputs, empowering women dairy farmers to increase their incomes, and improving nutrition among dairy households and communities.
Adegoroye added that ALDDN was strengthening collaboration between government and private-sector stakeholders to promote sustainable growth across Nigeria’s dairy value chain.
He said the programme also promoted financial inclusion among women dairy farmers through partnerships with financial institutions, improving access to financial services and alternative income opportunities.
Under infrastructure development, he said ALDDN supported access to clean water through solar-powered boreholes and provided milk cans, collection points, parlours, and milk evacuation vehicles.
He added that the programme worked with government and dairy companies on policy advocacy aimed at strengthening local sourcing of raw milk and creating an enabling environment for the dairy industry.
Earlier, Alhaji Sanusi Abdullahi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, SAJ Foods Ltd., said ALDDN had strengthened linkages among farmers, cooperatives, processors, government institutions, communities, and development partners.
Abdullahi said the programme had improved dairy productivity, market access, farmer organisations, and financial inclusion, while creating greater opportunities for women in dairy-producing communities.
He urged stakeholders to preserve the structures, knowledge, relationships, and lessons developed through ALDDN, stressing that the close-out should mark a transition to sustained collective action.
(NAN)
