Nestlé, a global leader in nutrition, health, and wellness is exploring joint efforts with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the biggest international agricultural research institute in Africa, to increase the productivity of crops, guarantee food security, and improve the incomes of resource-poor farmers.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the IITA, Mr. José Lopez, Executive Vice President (Operations and GLOBE) for Nestlé S.A. of Switzerl and, said the collaboration with IITA was in t andem with Nestlé principle of “Creating Shared Value” for business and society. He added that, “Nestlé invests in those areas where the potential for joint value creation is the greatest and seeks collaborative action with relevant stakeholders such as IITA.”
According to Mr. Lopez, the well-being of the communities from which Nestlé draws its raw materials and local labour from is vital to its success.
He said that Nestlé spends approximately CHF 20.4 billion (about N3 trillion) on raw materials and works directly with approximately 540,000 farmers to help them increase their productivity, protect the environment and climb out of poverty. The Nestlé boss said that about 3.4 million people in developing countries earn their livelihood from Nestlé’s supply chain.
Hartmann, Director-General of IITA, welcomed the interest shown by Nestlé in IITA’s work and promised that the institute was willing to partner with the private sector in increasing yields and ensuring food security in Africa.
“Our scientists have been working with Nestlé for a long time and we see this as another opportunity to forge ties ahead. We have a lot to work in common whether in the area of biological risk control, crop improvement and/or nutrition,” Hartmann emphasized.
Currently sourcing all of its maize locally, Nestlé-Nigeria says it specifically welcomes IITA’s work in controlling aflatoxins in grains.
Aflatoxins are poisons that are produced by a fungus – Aspergillus flavus – in many African food crops such as maize, groundnuts, cassava, and yam chips. They are are potent causes of cancer and suppress the immune system of humans and animals (through feeds) making them more susceptible to diseases.
Economically, aflatoxin contamination in agricultural products act as international trade barriers with global trade losses estimated at US$1.2 billion annually.
The good news, however, is that IITA has developed maize varieties and a biocontrol product called aflasafe™ that can reduce aflatoxin contamination to internationally acceptable levels.
Dr. Ranajit B andyopadhyay, IITA Pathologist, says combating the effect of aflatoxins will not only benefit IITA and Nestlé but also the farmers and consumers of Nestlé products.
###
For more information, please contact:
Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (West Africa)
IITA-Headquarters, Ibadan, Nigeria
Samuel Adenekan, samuel.adenekan@NG.NESTLE.com
Communications Manager, Nestle Nigeria Plc
Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer, IITA, (International)
Communication Office
IITA – Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria
URL: www.iita.org
About IITA
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people’s lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.
Contributed by
Recent stories