- By Halimah Olamide
Nigerians consume an estimated 1.6bn liters of milk and its products every year.This was the revelation by the Minister of Agriculture Aliyu Abdulahi on Saturday at the event marking the World Milk Day.
However the minister expressed concern that 60% of the 1.6bn liters is imported into the country.
At the event which highlighted the need to harness the local milk production potential of Nigeria, Abdulahi said the government is aware of the challenges facing the diary industry.
The minister said that the event also aimed to improve the livelihoods of dairy farmers and other value chain actors, creating employment and increasing the economic growth of the country.
He said that according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria spends 1.5 billion dollars per annum to import dairy products.
“This is because of our production deficit which stood at nearly 60 per cent as Nigerians consumed an average of 1.6 billion litres of milk and its products.
“The passionate dream of President Bola Tinubu is for us to attain national production security to even lead to export of dairy products to African countries under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
“It is in pursuance of this priority plan that speedy actions to transform the Livestock Sector especially the dairy value chain towards attaining food and nutrition security becomes not only imperative but an urgent national duty,” he said.
industry.
“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is ready for the challenges ahead as we work hard to renew the hope of dairy value chain actors,” he said.
Abdullahi said the ministry in collaboration with national and international partners would in the next few years work assiduously and strategically within the approved National Dairy Policy.
He said that the new Dairy policy would guaranty projects and interventions to ensure improved dairy farming practices and enhance the capacity of small holder dairy farmers through training and extension services.
Abdullahi said some of the projects would focus on best practices in animal husbandry, feed management, milk production, handling and collection among others.
In a Goodwill message, the President, Commercial Diary Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar, expressed satisfaction at the global and national attention milk, a nutritious animal food was getting.
He reiterated CODARAN’s commitment to the production, processing, marketing and consumption of quality and nutritious dairy products across Africa.
Also, the Managing Partner, Sahel Consulting Ltd; Mr Temi Adegoroyo, appreciated the collaboration between the firm and ministry in trying to develop the local diary sector in Nigeria.
“We are ensuring that we are linking many more private companies to small-holders farmers and building a responsive fresh milk supply chains in Nigeria.
“The agenda is to increase the productivity of fresh milk in Nigeria,” Adegoroyo said.