The Kaduna State Government says it has sustained and institutionalized gains recorded under the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) programme, with year-round livestock feed production identified as a key strategy for strengthening the state’s dairy sector.
The government said lessons and interventions from the five-year programme would be integrated into its livestock development framework to ensure that its impact continued beyond the programme’s close-out.
The Managing Director, Kaduna Ranch Development Company Ltd., Dr Ibrahim Yusuf, said this at the ALDDN State-Level Close-Out event in Zaria.
Yusuf said the company was already integrating lessons from the programme into the state’s sustainability framework, particularly in livestock feed production and improved dairy productivity.
He identified the availability of quality livestock feed throughout the year as one of the major challenges confronting livestock production, saying ALDDN had provided important interventions in that area.
According to him, Kaduna plans to address the challenge through the revitalisation of grazing reserves and improved pasture development across the state.
He said the Kaduna Ranch Development Company was currently working on 600 hectares of the Damau Grazing Reserve in Kubau Local Government Area, with 110 hectares already being developed for the production of high-quality livestock feed.
“Of the 600 hectares 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, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Murtala Mohammed-Dabo, represented by the Director of Livestock Services, Mr Amwe Akos, said the state government would sustain key gains achieved through ALDDN.
Akos said successful interventions under the programme would be incorporated into existing and future state livestock development programmes to ensure continuity after the close-out.
He disclosed that some of the initiatives had already been captured in the state’s proposed 2027 budget, indicating plans to continue supporting the gains recorded through ALDDN.
The Managing Partner of Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd., Mr Temi Adegoroye, said ALDDN was designed to reach 15,000 dairy households and 120,000 beneficiaries across seven states.
He 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.
Adegoroye said 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.
He identified five major objectives of the programme, including creating an enabling environment for local milk sourcing and increasing demand for locally produced milk from smallholder households.
Others, he said, were improving farmers’ access to technical support and inputs, empowering women dairy farmers to increase their incomes, improving nutrition among dairy households and communities, and strengthening collaboration between government and private-sector stakeholders.
Adegoroye added that ALDDN also promoted financial inclusion among women dairy farmers through partnerships with financial institutions, giving them improved access to financial services and alternative income opportunities.
He said the programme supported infrastructure development through the provision of solar-powered boreholes for access to clean water, as well as milk cans, collection points, parlours and milk evacuation vehicles.
According to him, ALDDN also worked with governments and dairy companies on policy advocacy to strengthen local sourcing of raw milk and create an enabling environment for the dairy industry.
Also speaking, the Managing Director, SAJ Foods Ltd., Alhaji Sanusi Abdullahi, said the programme had strengthened linkages among farmers, cooperatives, processors, government institutions, communities and development partners.
Abdullahi said ALDDN had contributed to improved dairy productivity, market access, farmer organisations and financial inclusion, while creating greater opportunities for women in dairy-producing communities.
In his response, Abubakar Sadiq Umar, the Ardon Zazzau advocated for the strengthening of grazing reserves and revival of cattle routes to enhance maximum productivity of cow milk by herders.
