The Federal Government says the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are set to begin importing fodder from Nigeria, as it seeks to unlock opportunities in the livestock sector and reduce a $1.5 billion annual dairy import bill.
The Federal Government has disclosed that the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are on the verge of importing fodders, including grasses, straws and hays, from Nigeria for livestock feeding. Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, made the disclosure in Ilorin, Kwara State, during an interaction with stakeholders on opportunities in the livestock business.
“Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia have spoken with off-takers who want to export grass from Nigeria. They give you a price in Dollar,” Maiha said. He added that Nigeria currently spends about $1.5 billion annually on dairy product importation due to insufficient local milk production.
“This is because we don’t have sufficient milk. Our cows produce about 23 litres of milk each per day while their counterparts elsewhere do between 25 and 40 litres per day. Nigeria has no reason to be poor because we have the resources. 58 millions herds of cattle, 124 million goats, 70 million sheep, 13.3 million pigs, 410,000 donkeys and 1000 carmel’s and almost half a million of poultry businesses have always been outside the formal sector of the industry. But, it now took somebody after Nigeria’s 64 years of independence to realize the damage we have been doing to ourselves by not mainstreaming livestock production,” he said.
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