The Blueribbon Ltd. has expressed its readiness to establish a dairy farm in Abia to facilitate the growth of the dairy sector in the state.
The Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Mr Idris Wabara, made this known on Friday during a meeting with Gov. Alex Otti of Abia in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area.
According to him, the project would be executed in partnership with Afimilk, an Israeli Dairy Company, to help build the dairy sector in the South East and South-South geopolitical zones.
Wabara said that the partnership with Afimilk would also provide training opportunities for Abia youths.
He said that the current economic situation had made it necessary for the nation to move from consumption to production to grow its economy.
“Our core competencies rest in agriculture. That way we can employ our people and more importantly we can feed our people and then we can earn foreign currency as well.
“We are looking to partner with Afimilk, an Israeli outfit, that is quite experienced in this sector and we know that with them Abia State would get the best,” Wabara said.
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He appealed to government to support the project to leverage and derisk it and essentially make land available for the project.
Wabara said: “This is not RUGA, this is not cattle rearing, this is a dairy farm and we will bring in world-class cattle to produce world-class milk.’’
He said that the current price of a tin of milk which was not up to a litre costs between N680 to N700.
He said that, therefore, efforts must be made to secure the nutritional security of Nigerians.
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“We want to fill the local market with milk, get foreign currency and train our people,” Wabara said.
Responding, Otti said that the Abia Government had “welcomed in principle” the proposal by the organisation for the establishment of an ultra-modern dairy farm in the state.
The governor stated that the establishment of a dairy farm would enhance economic development of the state.
He assured the company that his government would get into the details of the proposal.
NAN
