The largest dairy farmers’ cooperative in the world, FrieslandCampina, and the Ivorian Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources signed a partnership this Tuesday, November 30, to boost local milk production in Côte d’Ivoire through the endowment of technology. and the necessary knowledge. The goal, according to both parties, is to gradually reduce the country’s dependence on imports and improve the incomes of pastoralists “by integrating them into the value chain.”
The Minister of Animal and Fishery Resources, Sidi Tiémoko Touré, praised his Trade and Industry counterpart, Souleymane Diarrassouba, for having started the first negotiations in order to allow the group to always offer the average consumer quality dairy products. Welcoming this agreement, he said that the world production of milk is around 908 billion tonnes per year and that the Ivory Coast produced 34,000 tonnes in 2019, for an annual consumption of 40,000 tonnes. Hoping that the 6,000 tonne gap will soon be filled with the upcoming establishment of the dairy center of expertise.
This action is a promise made to the Ivorian Prime Minister on September 23 during the inauguration ceremony of the group’s regional office in Abidjan and the launch of their centenary celebrations. “The Prime Minister had invited the group to give the Ivory Coast the benefit of the transfer of skills and technology in order to create a fully integrated dairy sector in the Ivory Coast,” said the group.
For the Managing Director of FrieslandCampina, Roger Adou, this signing is the beginning of a collaboration that he hopes will be long and fruitful in order to ultimately achieve total self-sufficiency in the country in terms of milk. “The road will be long, of course, but you have our full support to achieve this goal,” addressing Minister Sidi Touré.
