Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has called for increased investments to drive the growth of the Nigerian cattle industry. In his speech during the commemoration of World Milk Day in Abuja, the National President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Baba-Othman Ngelzarma expressed his disappointment regarding the shortage of milk processors and offtakers in major parts of the country. The aim of the association is to meet the daily nutritional needs of Nigerians by fully utilizing local milk resources to create jobs and national wealth.
The President of Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), Muhammadu Abubakar, noted that one of the successes achieved in the quest to develop the country's dairy sector is the recent approval of the National Dairy Policy by the Federal Executive Council. The association is committed to promoting the production, processing, marketing, and consumption of quality and nutritious dairy products made from local resources.
Ernest Umakhihe, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, explained that they have embarked on capacity building and empowerment programmes for dairy farmers, as well as constructing and equipping milk collection centers in areas with comparative advantage for dairy, feed-milling facilities, pasture collection centers, animal handling centers, and more. The Ministry will continue to provide an enabling environment for increased milk production, processing, distribution, and consumption to improve the nutritional status of Nigerians, create jobs along the dairy value chain, and reduce national expenditure on the importation of milk and milk products. Additionally, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development through the Bank of Agriculture will be providing financial empowerment to livestock farmers to enhance their productivity and resilience.
Finally, the representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Philip Yila Yusuf, acknowledged the potential of collaboration to drive their common goal of breed improvement and sustainable milk production to reduce the milk supply gap from 1.1 million MT (from 600,000mts). He reiterated the importance of deepening collaborations with local and international partners as a catalyst towards achieving their common objective of national security and self-sufficiency. The World Milk Day conference is an opportunity to strengthen and foster alliances and expand opportunities to the global field offering new opportunities towards more viable and sustainable financing strategies for the dairy businesses in Nigeria.