Nigeria Considers Prohibition of Milk Importation

Nigeria is considering a prohibition of milk importation – as means to ending herders and farmers clashes over land encroachments and disputes.

The Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, while speaking after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on Tuesday, July 23 that the government would soon place restrictions on the importation of milk into the country.

Emiefele noted that the country spends between $1.2-1.5bn to bring in the product from other parts of the world when it can be produced in Nigeria.

H added that the government had met with officials of dairy companies to mandate them to start getting their raw materials from Nigeria, even if it means setting up schools and ranches for herders.

The monetary policy boss, who is serving a second term in office, said, “We have cows, if the cows are positioned in places without roaming around and they are given water to drink and grass to eat, they will be able to produce quality milk.”

The CBN boss hinted on the economic loss roaming herds cause saying, “as they move, they consume whatever they see on their way, unfortunately in this movement, they create destruction.”

As a means of ending the clashes, Emefiele said the government had met with officials of dairy companies to mandate them to start getting their raw materials from Nigeria, even if it means setting up schools and ranches for herders.

“We have met with some milk-producing companies almost three times in Lagos for them to begin backward integration and bring their investments to Nigeria and begin production here in this country.”

A cow is said to produce a litre of milk at its peak.

The private sector has already begun to help the country develop its dairy industry. Friesland Campina, owners of the Peak milk brand, said since their Dairy Development Programme started, they have worked with 3,500 farmers across five milk collection centres.

The company also noted in a visit to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on September 2018 that they would invest a further €23 million and settle 500 herders. The company, however, lamented the absence of incentives to encourage such investments.

The Nigerian government had, through the National Economic Council (NEC), formed a ten-year initiative called the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), as the vehicle to drive in the establishment of the dairy industry and get the country’s cattle to produce an average of ten litres of milk at a given time. It has, however, shown a lack of interest in implementing this policy, as one of the ten years went by without any defined step. If the government times the intended restriction on the importation of milk wrongly, Nigerians might be unable to afford the germane nutrient in their diet.

Nigeria cuts food imports and saves $21bn in 34 months – Emefiele