Abuja, Nov. 12, 2023 – Baba Ngelzarma, the National President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), says Nigerians spend about $1.7 billion yearly to import milk.
Ngeizama, who disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), called on the federal government to pay more attention to the dairy industry through budgetary allocation.
“The livestock sector has not and never received the needed attention from the government; the only support we have gotten is vaccination of cow.
“The aspect of livestock production, marketing, transportation, processing among others is left in the hands of the pastoralists; the entire value chain of cattle is not harnessed by the government.
“Nigeria has the largest population of livestock compared with neighbouring countries, yet we produce lesser milk due to neglect of the sector.,’’ he said.
Ngelzarma said if the sector received the attention it deserves, the nation could become a major hub for milk exports and other value chains in the livestock industry.
He said the current state of the cattle business in the country was making a modest contribution to stimulating the economy.
Ngeizarma said with the right focus, the sector had the potential to significantly boost the the contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
“If the sector is well harnessed, it can unlock a lot of employment opportunities in the country considering its huge investment and foreign exchange, among others.’’
Ngelzarma argued that ranching, a model borrowed from foreigners, would be difficult for pastoralists in the country to adopt.
According to him, this approach does not align with the lifestyle of local pastoralists who are accustomed to roaming in search of pasture and are considered primitive.
He pointed out that a significant percentage, between 70% and 80%, of pastoralists in the country lack formal education and are smallholder farmers.
These individuals, he explained, cannot afford ranching due to its capital-intensive nature.
Ngelzarma emphasized that the nomadic farmers are accustomed to an open grazing system and have not received training on modernization.
To make ranching successful in the country, Ngelzarma stressed the importance of adequate funding.
He proposed a model that fits the uniqueness of pastoralists, suggesting the transformation of grazing reserves into community ranching as a viable alternative.
