Multi-Million Dollar Food Company Set to Berth in Ogun.

A Qatari-based dairy industry, Baladna, is set to establish a multi-million dollar food factory in Ogun State.

Baladna is an agricultural company that raises livestock and produces dairy products. It is Qatar's largest locally-owned food and dairy producer that supplies over 95 percent of the country's fresh dairy products.

The Head of Products and Solutions Architecture at Baladna, Mr. Aidan Thomas Iynan, disclosed this when he and other members of the company, led by the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Aisha Rimi, paid a courtesy visit to the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

He said the government of Qatar and the company invested heavily in an integrated dairy farm, which has become the biggest single dairy farm in the world.

He stated that Nigeria and Ogun State, like Algeria, would achieve remarkable results in dairy farming with the expertise, technology, and capital from the organization.

He noted that the collaboration with the Algerian government is expected to produce 1.7 billion liters of milk a year and meet 50 percent of milk supply for Algerians.

Mr. Iynan noted that with the current climate change, seven decades of drought in Syria, and flash floods in North America, the Mediterranean, and North Africa, it was imperative for Nigeria to work towards becoming self-sufficient in dairy production, as the situation is bound to put pressure on countries that depend on imports to address their food security.

"We can build farms that are highly efficient with world-class yields, and we can address not just dairy, meat, but also crop production," he said.

He added the purpose of the visit was to explore possibilities in the country regarding land acquisition and also to hold talks with the government of Ogun State on collaboration in order to develop plans and feasibility studies to push the plan through.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NIPC, Aisha Rimi, said that despite Nigeria's enormous potential in terms of population and increased urbanization, there is still low production of milk, which is below global standards.

According to her, despite Nigeria having one of the largest cattle populations on the continent, it can only meet about 50 percent of its dairy needs, as it imports between $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion worth of dairy products annually.

The Executive Secretary emphasized that the government has introduced the National Dairy Policy, as well as the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development and the expansion of the National Livestock Transformation Plan, designed to improve local milk production and encourage the cultivation and processing of dairy products in the country.

In his response, Governor Abiodun observed that Nigeria's demand for milk has jumped to 1.6 billion liters per year, with about 50-70 percent coming from imports.

"A lot of people have been running around pretending to set up dairy farms. They applied for import substitute permits, but what we have seen today is that all they do is bring in powdered milk because powdered milk has been very profitable, and that is very unfortunate.

"I think that you represent the kind of company that we would like to work with, and we are confident that you will work with Nigeria to achieve the Renewed Hope Initiative in agriculture. If within one month you were able to achieve 35 percent of milk supply in Qatar and within six months you became self-sufficient, I have no doubt that you can achieve that here in Nigeria. Your operations here will be like a walk in the park since we do not have deserts here," the governor stated.

The governor highlighted the multiplying effects of having the company established in the state, noting that apart from job creation and individual prosperity, it would also lead to an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation.

While calling on the company to consider establishing itself in the state, Prince Abiodun noted that the company's vision aligned with that of the state, assuring of seamless cooperation devoid of official bottlenecks.

PIC :L-R: Leader of delegation and head of Product and Solution Architecture, Baladna, Aidan Thomas Iynan; Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Commission, Aisha Rimi; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and another member of the Baladna team, Steven James Blair, during a visit to the Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta office of the governor on Monday.