Developing a national dairy policy that would redirect and boost Nigeria’s dairy industry took center stage at the stakeholder’s engagement meeting in Abuja.
Speaking at the meeting, the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Sabo Nanono, said the need to harness potentials in the dairy subsector, address critical socio-economic and national herd management issues has induced renewed interest in the development of the Diary policy, particularly in recognition of the nutritional and livelihood importance of milk and other dairy products in Nigeria”.
While highlighting the present situation of the dairy industry in Nigeria, the minister noted that the industry is “largely subsistence and consist of local milk production and consumption.
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He said the gap between supply and demand for dairy products is widening as a result of increase in population and urbanization.
To facilitate the growth needed in the dairy industry, Nanono said that the Federal Government is committed to providing the enabling environment for sustainable direct investment in the dairy industry and other key sectors of the economy.
The proposed policy, is expected to give a defined direction for the country’s dairy industry where players at all levels will be expected to abide by the rules of operation, in terms of production, processing and marketing of dairy products in Nigeria.
Editor Paul Akhagbemhe
