Partnership between FrieslandCampina and Agriterra

16-11-2015 On Friday 13 November 2015, Roelof Joosten, CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V., and Albert Jan Maat, Chairman of the Board of Agriterra, signed an agreement to continue the existing partnership between the two companies.

On Friday 13 November 2015, Roelof Joosten, CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V., and Albert Jan Maat, Chairman of the Board of Agriterra, signed an agreement to continue the existing partnership between the two companies in the context of the Dairy Development Programme. The new agreement will run for 3 years.

Since 2012, FrieslandCampina and Agriterra have officially been working together through the Dairy Development Programme (DDP), the aim of which is to help small-scale dairy farmers in Asia and Africa manage their farms as efficiently as possible by providing support and sharing knowledge. The aim is to boost dairy production both qualitatively and quantitatively in order to improve the socio-economic position of these farmers and make rural communities more viable. The initiative is also designed to get the younger generation more interested in agricultural entrepreneurship by improving their economic prospects and trying as a result to reverse the sharp rise in the average age of farmers worldwide.

The partnership has produced some positive results in recent years:

• The Farmer2Farmer programme has now direct and indirect reached a total of more than 20,000 small farmers and farm cooperatives in Asia
• Agriterra missions have reached approximately 70,000 small member-farmers among other things in Kenya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Nepal
• The Mukurwe-ini Dairy cooperative in Kenya has built a dairy plant based on know-how supplied by FrieslandCampina and project supervision from Agriterra. Meru Central Dairy cooperative has trebled its turnover as a result and Kiambaa Dairy cooperative is preparing the construction of a milk pasteurisation line.
• A total of 64 FrieslandCampina employees and member dairy farmers have given their expertise through 54 joint advisory assignments

“Combining our strengths is helping to bring about positive growth in the local dairy sector, especially where quality and productivity are concerned. The Farmer2Farmer programme and Agripool enable FrieslandCampina employees and member dairy farmers to share knowledge with farmers and cooperatives in Asia and Africa, helping them to make real progress,” said Roelof Joosten. “Which is why we are energetically embarking on a new period of ongoing collaboration today”.

“Agriterra's goals tie in perfectly with FrieslandCampina's Dairy Development Programme, which is designed to strengthen the position of dairy farmers in Asia and Africa. By working together in a partnership based on corporate social responsibility, we are consolidating each other's activities, boosting the productivity and quality of dairy and raising the level of organisation of dairy farmers and their access to the market,” said Albert Jan Maat.

Agriterra strengthens and professionalises farmers' organisations and cooperatives in developing countries through the deployment of experts from the Dutch agricultural sector and financial assistance from the Dutch government. Agriterra focuses on economic development and works closely with Dutch agri-businesses.

For more information, see www.frieslandcampina.com and www.agriterra.org