The Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project (KSADP) has said that to ensure hygienic milk for the populace, the agency will spend about N3.9 billion on constructing 60 Milk Collection Centres ( MCC)across the state.
This is just as the agency said that its aim is to ensure the quality and safe milk provision by putting in place a cold chain.
The Project Communication Specialist in charge of the project,Alhaji Ameen Yassar, made this known in a press made available on Wednesday in Kano
According to him,the project was being funded by the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihood Funds, aimed at enhancing provision of quality and safe milk, by putting in place a cold chain.
He however disclosed that the contracts, in four lots, were awarded to four indigenous companies with a completion period of 12 months .
Each, MCC, would have a borehole equipped with a solar-powered pump and a 20,000-litre overhead tank, an input store managed by a community appointee and up to 10 fodder banks in its environs.
Similarly ,every centre would have a 250-litre tank cooled by solar power and a milk testing bench with appropriate reagents/equipment as well as milk collection cans.
The Project Coordinator, Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, Malam Ibrahim Muhammad, stated that “the investment is unprecedented in Nigeria and will bridge the gap between pastoralists and the dairy industry.
“One of the major problems of the dairy industry is supply inadequacy and poor quality of the milk.”
He added that this MCC project, therefore, aims to ensure provision of quality and safe milk by putting in place a cold chain.
Malam Muhammad hinted that ” This will guarantee regular sales and income for the pastoralists,”
He then urged the companies awarded the contracts,to execute durable projects within the agreed time frame, to justify the confidence reposed in them.
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