The federal government has unveiled a new National Dairy Policy aimed at revitalizing the livestock and dairy sectors.
The policy, launched by Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday, seeks to enhance the industry’s development and promote sustainable economic diversification. Speaking at the launch, Shettima, represented by Senior Special Assistant on Agribusiness Kingsley Uzoma, highlighted the global promotion of dairy products, which support over one billion livelihoods.
Shettima acknowledged dairy farming’s potential for economic development and job creation, while addressing challenges like inadequate animal feed, grazing land conflicts, and climate change impacts. “The National Dairy Policy is a direct response to these challenges,” he stated.
The policy aims to address issues such as lack of modern breeding practices, high milk costs, and poor transportation infrastructure. Currently, Nigeria spends $1.5 billion annually on dairy imports due to a production deficit. Despite Nigerians consuming an average of 1.6 billion liters of milk and its products annually, domestic production remains insufficient.
Shettima emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is committed to achieving national production security with a long-term goal of exporting dairy products to other African countries under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Implementing the policy is expected to improve dairy farming practices, increase investment in processing and preservation, and promote data-driven policymaking. It will also enhance animal health practices and enable progress monitoring and evaluation.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, commended the policy’s alignment with the government’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” to revitalize the livestock sector. He noted that the policy would create an enabling environment for the growth of the dairy industry.
