round livestock feed – Blueprint Newspapers Limited

The Kaduna State Government has announced plans to sustain and institutionalize gains recorded under the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme, with year-round livestock feed production identified as a key strategy to strengthen the state’s dairy sector.

The Government said lessons and interventions from the five-year program will be integrated into the livestock development framework to ensure its impact continues beyond the closure of the programme.

The Chief Executive Officer of Kaduna Ranch Development Company Ltd., Dr Ibrahim Yusuf, disclosed this at the ALDDN state level closing event in Zaria on Wednesday.

Yusuf said the company is already integrating lessons learned from the program into the state’s sustainability framework, particularly in livestock feed production and improving dairy productivity.

He identified year-round availability of quality livestock feed as one of the biggest challenges facing livestock production, saying ALDDN has provided important interventions in that area.

According to him, Kaduna intends to address the challenge by revitalizing grazing reserves and improving rangeland development across the state.

He said the Kaduna Ranch Development Company is currently working on 600 hectares of the Damau Grazing Reserve in Kubau Local Government Area, with 110 hectares already under development for the production of high quality livestock feed.

“Of the 600 hectare grazing reserve, the company has started work on 110 hectares to produce high-quality feed for livestock in the state.

“This is part of the state’s sustainability framework, in addition to strong collaboration with key stakeholders such as L-PRES and NAPRI,” he said.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Murtala Mohammed-Dabo, represented by the Director of Livestock Services, Amwe Akos, said the state government would support the key achievements achieved through ALDDN.

Akos said successful interventions under the program will be incorporated into existing and future state livestock development programs to ensure continuity.

He revealed that some of the initiatives had already been included in the state’s 2027 budget proposal, indicating intent to continue supporting the gains recorded through ALDDN.

For her part, Managing Partner of Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd., Temi Adegoroye, said ALDDN was designed to reach 15,000 dairy families and 120,000 beneficiaries across seven states.

He said the five-year programme, funded by the Gates Foundation and implemented by Sahel Consulting in collaboration with state governments and dairy processors, is based on the Nigerian Dairy Development Programme.

Adegoroye said ALDDN was designed to catalyze a vibrant and inclusive local dairy sector, improving the productivity, nutrition, empowerment and livelihoods of smallholder dairy farmers.

He said the program was implemented in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Adamawa and Taraba through processor-led interventions tailored to the needs of participating communities.

It identified five main objectives of the programme, including creating an environment conducive to local milk sourcing and increasing demand for locally produced milk from smallholder families.

Others, he said, are improving farmers’ access to technical support and inputs, empowering women farmers to increase their incomes, improving nutrition among dairy families and communities, and strengthening collaboration between government and private sector stakeholders.

Adegoroye added that ALDDN has also promoted financial inclusion among women dairy farmers through partnerships with financial institutions, offering them better access to financial services and alternative income opportunities.

He said the program supports infrastructure development through the provision of solar-powered wells for access to clean water, as well as milk churns, collection points, parlors and milk evacuation vehicles.

According to him, ALDDN has also worked with governments and dairy companies to promote policies to strengthen local raw milk supply and create an enabling environment for the dairy industry.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of SAJ Foods Ltd., Alhaji Sanusi Abdullahi, said the program has strengthened linkages between farmers, cooperatives, processors, government institutions, communities and development partners.

Abdullahi said the ALDDN has helped improve dairy productivity, market access, farmer organizations and financial inclusion, while creating more opportunities for women in dairy-producing communities.

In his response, Abubakar Sadiq Umar, Ardon Zazzau, advocated strengthening grazing reserves and reviving livestock routes to increase maximum cow milk productivity by herders.