The President Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar has charged farmers on local milk production to cut down on foreign exchange demand in the country.
Abubakar stated this at the Dairy Business Development and Training Programme held recently in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
He noted that, with estimated $1.5bn spent on milk importation into Nigeria in annually according to Central Bank of Nigeria, the population growth between 2020 and 2021 may likely create higher demand for imported milk and dairy products, and by extension, foreign exchange.
Muhammadu stressed that empowering smallholder dairy producers in local communities through outgrower schemes has remained cardinal to CODARAN.
“The Dairy Business Development and Training Programme is a project conceived and designed to accelerate the process of job creation in dairy production and most importantly, work to increase the volume of milk available for collection locally.
“One of the products that adds to the weight of demand on foreign exchange in the country is milk. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) estimated that $1.5bn was spent on milk importation in 2020 to cover the huge milk production shortfall in the Country.
“The time has indeed come for the local dairy sector to be developed through strategic and impactful actions so that much of the demand for milk and dairy products are met locally and the demand for foreign exchange for milk importation is reduced and ultimately eliminated.
“CODARAN has elected to be at the forefront of the drive towards self-sufficiency in milk and dairy products in Nigeria. Its members are fully involved in backward integration in dairy development by stepping up local milk sourcing, building and maintaining milk collection centres, and empowering smallholder dairy producers in local communities through outgrower schemes.
“The Dairy Business Development and Training Programme is another scheme which portrays the Association’s unwavering commitment to developing the dairy sector by supporting new entrants into dairy enterprise and building capacity of smallholder dairy producers,” he stated.
He further lauded Ekiti State Government for its role in growing the Nigerian Diary sector through landmark investment and provision of enabling environment.