World Milk Day: Nigeria imported $1.5 billion milk in 2023, says Pastoralist

Mohammed Nasir Shuaibu

A Pastoralist expert, Shuaibu Aliyu Kobi has said that Nigeria imported over $1.5 billion of milk products in 2023 into the country which he describes as unfortunate. 

Aliyu, who is the State Focal Officer, Pastoral Reserves, a non-governmental organisation made the statement at an event to mark "2024 World Milk Day" at Firo Community, Ganjuwa LGA, Saturday in Bauchi. 

He noted that Nigeria has potential to produce enough milk for its consumers but unfortunately is still importing the products into the country. 

According to him, the aim of the meeting was to monitor and assess the present situation of the Association since it was established 12 years ago who were trained on how to produce milk in commercial quantities with a view to identify gaps, challenges for proper solutions to improve on them through modern systems. 

He said "today we're here with the Pastoralist Development and Conservation Society in Nigeria PDCS Nigeria to discuss different ways, different alternatives, different opportunities that exist in the dairy sector so that we can explore it. This can really help in order to save foreign exchange which we're using to purchase the commodity into our country.”

He explained that the organisation has established 29 new collections centres in Bauchi state and three dairy collections centres respectively with a view to improving production of milk and to empower especially the women to become self-reliant. 

He said that with the high cases of severe  acute malnutrition in the state among children aged between 06-23 could be curbed by the dairy milk industry if managed and improved production. It would greatly complement and help in reducing the rate of child malnutrition in the state. 

He called on the Bauchi State Government to continue exploring the opportunity by commercialising the Gubi Dairy farm in the state. "We are calling on the government to commercialise the sector. If possible privatise it to the private sectors and come in to develop the area, so that our own people and the state can equally benefit from its interns of employment and revenue generation."

Some of the members expressed their gratitude over the gesture and promised to embrace the new method to improve on their production capacity.