As the world marks this year’s World Milk Day, the Federal Government has announced plans to mobilize stakeholders to fully implement the National Dairy Policy, aiming to boost the agricultural sector and save Nigeria the N1.5 billion spent annually on milk imports.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, highlighted the challenges facing the dairy sector and pledged the Federal Government’s support to address them. He noted that with an estimated two million children in Nigeria suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), partly due to limited consumption of animal-source food, increasing milk availability is crucial.
The Minister cited a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) report stating that Nigeria spends $1.5 billion per year importing dairy products due to a production deficit. Nigerians consume an average of 1.6 billion liters of milk and its products, with a production shortfall of nearly 60 percent.
“These challenges formed the foundation for developing the National Dairy Policy, which aims to transform this crucial industry in the years ahead,” Senator Abdullahi stated. He assured that the President is committed to reversing the negative state of the dairy industry and that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is prepared to address the challenges.
The Ministry, in collaboration with national and international partners, will work strategically within the approved National Dairy Policy, which will be unveiled on June 4, 2024, by Vice President Kashim Shettima. The policy will ensure improved dairy farming practices, increased investment in dairy processing and preservation, evidence-based policy implementation, and foster public-private partnerships, among other initiatives.
Muhammadu Abubakar, President of the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), emphasized that the theme of World Milk Day 2024, “Harnessing the Nutrition and Investment Opportunities in the Dairy Value Chain,” highlights the potential for wealth creation and nutrition security within the dairy industry. He expressed confidence that the event would generate practical recommendations for the sustainable development of the dairy industry and called for increased support from the Federal Government.
“We urge all CODARAN members and industry players to commit to and increase investments in backward integration to enhance the transformation of the Nigerian dairy industry into a major contributor to the nation’s socio-economic development,” Abubakar noted.
