The Federal Government has unveiled plans to double Nigeria’s annual milk production from 700 million litres to 1.4 billion litres over the next five years as part of efforts to reduce the country’s reliance on imported dairy products.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Monday during a validation workshop on the National Action Plan for the Promotion of Local Milk in Nigeria, held in Abuja.
The workshop, organised with the facilitation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), provided a platform for dairy farmers, researchers and development partners, including Sahel Consulting, to examine practical measures for strengthening domestic milk production.
Speaking at the event, Maiha challenged stakeholders to translate policy discussions into measurable results, stressing that practical implementation was more important than prolonged deliberations without concrete outcomes.
He maintained that Nigeria must take responsibility for developing its dairy sector rather than relying on foreign countries, urging federal and state governments, private investors, farmers and researchers to work together towards achieving the national production target.
According to the minister, improving cattle breeds, ensuring sufficient feed and water supply, expanding veterinary services and establishing functional milk collection centres are essential to boosting productivity.
He further advocated a transition from traditional subsistence cattle rearing to commercially driven dairy farming, with structured support systems that would enable smallholder farmers to supply milk to processing companies.
Maiha noted that despite Nigeria’s estimated population of more than 58 million cattle, the country had yet to fully harness the animals’ milk-producing capacity.
He pointed to Kenya, Uganda and India as examples of countries that had strengthened their dairy industries through smallholder participation and efficient milk collection and distribution networks.
Earlier, the National President of the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), Alhaji Muhammadu Damakka Abubakar, disclosed that Nigeria currently produces approximately 700 million litres of milk annually, compared with an estimated national demand of 1.7 billion litres.
Abubakar, who was represented by the association’s Executive Director, Dianabasi Akpainyang, said the resulting deficit of about one billion litres had left Nigeria heavily dependent on imported dairy products.
He expressed concern that the continued dependence on foreign milk was limiting opportunities for domestic farmers, businesses and other players across the dairy value chain.
“Every litre of milk we import is a job exported,” he said.
Highlighting the factors responsible for the sector’s poor performance, Abubakar identified low cattle productivity, insufficient feed and fodder, inadequate access to water and weak cold-chain infrastructure as some of the major constraints confronting local dairy production.
He disclosed that CODARAN was equally working towards raising domestic milk output to 1.4 billion litres within five years.
However, he cautioned that attaining complete self-sufficiency in milk production would require a longer period, sustained investment and deliberate interventions across the dairy value chain.
