As well as manufacturing quality feeds for local poultry and livestock farmers and offering employment for local people, a feed mill can also help to resolve conflicts over land use, according to the former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony in Abuja recently, he said the establishment of feed mills can help defuse the conflicts between herders and farmers that are costing lives and livelihoods in his country, reports All Africa.
Located in the Idu Industrial District in the Federal Capital Territory, the feed mill is being set up by Rico Gado Nutrition Nigeria, a private limited liability company formed in 2013 as a joint venture between Rico Gado Nutracao S.A. of Portugal and GeseDerdirabe Holdings of Yola in Adamawa State, which is owned by Abubakar.
Rico Gardo’s first factory in Nigeria was commissioned last year in Yola. According to Abubakar, the feed produced there has already helped reduce the land area required to raise cattle.
“The Yola mill produces 20 metric tons per hour of carefully balanced and locally sourced quality feed for a wide range of livestock, including poultry, cattle, goats, and horses,” he said. “We are also contributing to job creation, technology transfer and progressive change in farming culture. We believe there is a future in farming.”
The new feed mill in Abuja is expected to be completed by early 2017 and to have a capacity of 50 metric tons per hour.
Representing the Portuguese partner, Rico Gado, Joaquin Da Silva said the new mill has great potential to change the face of livestock production and make a positive impact on socio-economic development in Nigeria.
According to the website of Priam Group, its agriculture business includes Rico Gado Nutrition NG, a joint venture between Derdirabe Holdings Nigeria Limited and Rico Gado Nutricao S.A. As well as manufacturing compound feeds, the company imports and exports seeds and grains. After the factories in Yola and Abuja, a third feed mill is scheduled for completion next year. In addition to its economic goals, the company has a strong social awareness and aims to support local farmers’ increased production by guaranteeing to purchase their products over the long term, helping to stimulate farming and the wider economy locally.
In April 2016, Olam International announced plans to invest in feed manufacturing and poultry breeding and hatchery in the states of Kaduna and Kwara.
In December 2015, Olam International and InVivo Animal Nutrition & Health of France agreed to jointly develop expertise in animal nutrition in Nigeria.
