By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Chairman of Kano Dairy and Livestock Husbandry Cooperative Union (KADALCU), Mr. Usman Abdullahi Usman revealed that the state has the capacity to produce around 30,000 liters of milk per day.
During a recent interview, he further stated that Kano’s dairy industry contributes nearly 24% of the total locally produced milk nationwide.
According to him, “This is because Kano State has the largest cattle population and the relative level of peace in the state has attracted new settlers to the state as cattle herders move to Kano in greater numbers.”
“In addition, Kano also enjoys a higher population in terms of human resources. This provides a wider market for milk consumption,” he added.
Mr. Usman also revealed that the support of a private organization, Outspan Nigeria Limited, the dairy business unit of Olam Food Ingredient, has made the business attractive to farmers.
Outspan has partnered with the organization to provide a regular and sustainable dairy market for member farmers, ending homelessness or open grazing among farmers.
The company buys the raw milk from the association and processes it into different varieties of products.
The agreement between the two parties was signed in 2020. It aims to develop and execute a backward integration plan that aims to improve and support the dairy value chain in line with the federal government’s plan for self-sufficiency in the dairy industry.
Speaking on how the union is fulfilling its part of the deal, the head of KADALCU said, “We prioritize quality and standards as a cooperative union and we want to guarantee our customers milk that meets the best global quality standards. This is why we have implemented a rigorous milk analysis parameter.
“We have what is called a quality control unit. We train milk attendants to perform basic tests on raw milk brought to the milk collection center to determine the level of density of raw milk to prevent adulteration, and the PH level of it to s to make sure it doesn’t get sour,” he added. .
He said the union collects raw milk from its members and stores it in a larger milk collection center for up to 48 hours.
“The technology is almost similar to what is available at the milk collection centre. We make sure that the milk does not stay too long in the centres. This milk comes 100% from locally raised cows.
“Of course, we get milk from crossbred cows, but that’s rare. [About] 99% of our milk comes from indigenous cows,” he added.
“In Kano alone, we have the capacity to produce 30,000 liters or more of milk per day. It’s just that this milk is unrecoverable because the farms are located in distant cities. This is where the logistics, labor, culture system and milk handling/transportation education need to be in place. These are the reasons why the milk is not collected.
“But with the coming of Outspan Nigeria Limited, I am sure the gaps in the system would be filled sooner to ensure efficient collection of milk from remote clusters,” Mr. Usman noted.
He revealed that “currently there is an initiative called agro-pastoral development program aimed at helping pastoralists. There is also a project driven by a partnership between the federal government and the state government that aims to improve our operations. The federal government has been very supportive of dairy farmers. He donated and equipped the consolidation center which was upgraded by Outspan Nigeria Limited.
The president disclosed that KADALCU serves as the umbrella organization for 74 primary cooperative societies from different local government areas in the state.
According to him, the cooperative union comprises about 12,500 members of the 74 cooperative societies, which have been separated into three senatorial districts or areas of the state.