President Bola Tinubu has revealed that Nigeria spends approximately $1.5 billion each year on importing milk and dairy products, highlighting the urgent need for reforms in the livestock sector.
The president stated this during a two-day Consultative Workshop on Livestock Reforms in Abuja.
Tinubu expressed concern over the country’s reliance on dairy imports and the critical state of local production.
“The long-term neglect of the livestock sector has weighed heavily on the country’s import bills, with milk and dairy products accounting for $1.2-1.5 billion,” he stated.
The President expressed concern about the nutritional needs of Nigerian children, questioning why the country cannot provide basic nutrition in schools. “A country of over 200 million people cannot serve our children one pint of milk in a classroom per day? That is not right,” he remarked, underscoring the urgency of improving local production capabilities.
Low production levels
The President noted that current production levels of animal-source foods are alarmingly low. Nigeria produces only 0.7 billion litres of milk annually, which is inadequate for its needs. “Our per capita consumption levels 8.7 litres of milk, 9 kg of meat, and 3.5 kg or 45 eggs per year are troublingly low compared to global averages,” he said.
He further stressed the need for improvement, stating, “What is more worrisome to me is the average milk yield by cow breeds managed by our pastoralists: it is a mere 0.5 to 1.5 litres per day, compared to a global average of 6.6 litres per day. We can do much better!”
Livestock reform
During his address, President Tinubu commended the Presidential Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, which is co-chaired by Prof. Attahiru Jega and Prof. Muhammed Yahaya Kuta, for their dedication to transforming the livestock sector.
He expressed a clear vision: “Our shared mission is clear: we aim to transform the livestock sector from its current subsistence model into a thriving, commercialized industry.”
He further highlighted the significant resources Nigeria possesses, including 563 million chickens, 58 million cattle, 124 million goats, 60 million sheep, and 16 million pigs, which position the nation as the leading livestock producer in West Africa.
He called for collective efforts, stating, “Yes, we can do it. We can bring prosperity to our people. We can feed our children. From grass, we can achieve grace. We can contribute so much to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provide decent jobs.”
What you should know
Nairametrics earlier reported President Tinubu’s creation of a Ministry of Livestock Development as part of measures to quell the farmer-herder crisis ravaging different parts of the country.
These conflicts lead to significant loss of lives and livelihoods, weaken food security, contribute to the spread of small arms, displace large populations, and redirect resources meant for development.
Due to drought and desertification in the north, pastoralist herdsmen have been pushed further south in search of grazing land, leading to competition for resources and clashes with settled farmers.
The Presidential Committee on the Implementation of Livestock Reforms proposed that a combination of ranching and open grazing could offer the most viable solution to Nigeria’s farmer-herder crisis.
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