FG eyes 1.7m MT of milk production target by 2024

The Federal Government has announced plans to increase milk production from the current 600,000 metric tonnes to 1,700,000 metric tonnes by 2024.

Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who gave the short-term target, said the government will provide the needed infrastructure to enhance milk aggregation and distribution and that the plan will reduce the $1.3 billion dairy importation bill.

Osinbajo also welcomed the strategic partnership of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, URUS, Barenbrug and Agrifirm tagged Value4Dairy Consortium in their commitment to increase self-sufficiency in Nigeria’s dairy sector.

The Vice President represented by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, at a webinar organised by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc to launch its Value4dairy Consortium, said dairy is one of Nigeria’s priority products for domestic production as it is a source of demand for foreign exchange, adding that it also has the potential to create wealth for farmers.

“These priority products include oil palm, cassava, starch, cotton, textile and garments, sugar and dairy. With FrieslandCampina WAMCO as a processor to deliver the end chain, the partnership will drive increased consumption of processed milk, milk products and the expected industry growth,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria’s aspiration as captured in its Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) is to create a resilient economy driven by inclusive growth, technology, innovation and structural transformation to achieve maximum welfare for the country.

He added that even though agriculture contributes about 26 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and almost 50 per cent of its labour force, it still faces the challenge of meeting the country’s food requirements and providing raw materials for the manufacturing sector.

He stated that creating a strong linkage between the agricultural sector and the industry through agro-processing is at the heart of the government’s strategy of achieving sustainable growth.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Sabo Nanono, also commended the consortium, saying: “I am confident that the consortium will drive inclusive engagement and positively influence the development of national livestock initiatives at various levels of government.”

The partnership is built on automobile announces 265 per cent increase in sales companies’ global achievements and experiences with which they will accelerate sustainable dairy development to deliver high-quality nutrition for everyone involved in the dairy chain from farmer to consumer.

Also, the Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Ben Langat, called on the government to provide the right security in all the places where dairy development is being pr66.45acticed, saying that without security dairy development would be disrupted.

He said it is important that Nigeria continues to invest in dairy development through public and private sector participation.

“It is important to invest in these critical areas to achieve a home-grown sustainable value chain,” he said.