Federal Government of Nigeria to partner with Nestlé on High-Energy Nutritious Foods

Federal Government of Nigeria to partner with Nestlé on High-Energy Nutritious Foods

The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to partner with Nestlé, the leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness company,on manufacturing and processing of agricultural raw materials such as maize, sorghum, millet and soybeans into high-energy nutritious foods. This aims at tacklingAfrica’s high incidence of malnutrition and ensuring healthier futures for its children. The Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, and the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nestlé Nigeria, Mr Dharnesh Gordhon disclosed this when the Minister visited Nestlé factory in Agbara, recently.

Dr Adesina commended Nestlé for the state-of-the-art technology in its Agbara factory. He was particularly impressed bythe breakthrough technology for processing maize and millet into Nestlé all-family cereal, Golden Morn. He said that Nestlé’s commitment to responsible sourcing of agricultural raw materials, which has resulted in purchase of over 32,000 metric tonnes of grains from local Nigerianfarmers in 2013 alone,is a clear example of business supporting farming and promoting it as a livelihood of choice that offers an attractive income.

Nestlé will collaborate with the government to establish farmers group to grow grains such as maize, millet, sorghum and soybeans for the company at the right volume, price and quality. He added that Nestlé was an ideal partner for the Transformative Partnership for High-Energy Nutritious Foods, which was launched at the last World Economic Forum in Abuja in May 2014.

In his own remarks, MrGordhon lauded the federal government for their agricultural transformation agenda which is aimed at growing the agricultural sector and creating wealth. He assured the Minister that the company would support the Transformative Partnership for High-Energy Nutritious Foods project. He added that the initiative was in line with Nestlé’s global commitments to help increase consumption of whole grains and to help reduce the risk of under-nutrition through micro nutrient fortification. These initiatives are of the company’s approach to business, which it calls ‘Creating Shared Value’. This is based on the belief that for a company to be successful over the long term and create value for shareholders, it must create value for society.

One of the company’s strategies to increase consumption of whole grains is by re-formulating and redesigning products based on scientific insights. Nestlé Nigeria has fortified a growing number of its popularly positioned products targeted at low-income consumers with essential micro nutrients. For example, each variety of Nestlé Golden Morn– Maize, Maize Choco and Millet – is enriched with vitamin A and Iron, essential micro nutrients necessary for the survival, growth and development of every individual.

As part of Nestlé’s support for the Transformative Partnership for High-Energy Nutritious Foods project, Nestlé will also collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to sponsor a nationwide advocacy programme on grain bio fortification.In this programme, new varieties of conventionally-farmed high-energy staple grains that are naturally fortified with essential vitamins and minerals will be made accessible to larger, predominantly rural populations, thereby tackling micro nutrient deficiencies.

Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina,Federel Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources