The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has held a sensitisation workshop on dairy development for dairy entrepreneurs/farmers in Ilorin, Kwara state capital.
NOTAP held a similar workshop in Kano.
While declaring the event open, Director General of NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, said despite being blessed with much cattle, milk production is poor due to their nomadic way of life, The situation he said has further been compounded by poor and inadequate knowledge of modern breeding techniques.
The Director General, represented by the Director Consultancy Services in the agency, Dr. Adamu Tandama, noted that Vietnam and Netherlands, who are the highest producers of milk globally, do not have as much cattle as Nigeria.
He noted that both countries are ranked top in milk production because they apply the global best practices in cattle breeding.
He urged dairy farmers to develop their business to the point of producing enough milk for the Nigerian market. According to him, they must adopt the modern methods of ranching, breeding and cow milking.
DanAzumi explained that cattle that produce more milk are ranched in a center where they are well fed with adequate hygiene. He advised the dairy entrepreneurs to form corporate societies and groups as history has shown that the level of success for individual dairy entrepreneurs/farmers is far less than when they form groups.
He further said the workshop was to sensitize dairy farmers on the global best practices in dairy production as well as introduce them to the use of high breed cattle for the business.
Dr. Ibrahim further stated that in order to ensure technology transfer and global best practices in dairy production, the Office in 2013 partnered with Friesland Campina WAMCO in establishing a mini milk collection center in Ibadan, Oyo State. He added that the company built a settlement for Fulani herders, ranched their cattle and introduced them to the modern methods of growing and milking cattle. “It has turned into a lucrative business for even the non Fulani’s around the locality,” he said.
He said the project was introduced as a result of NOTAP’s collaboration with Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria plc in order to add local content to milk produced in Nigeria and also ensure “the availability of milk for our teeming population.”
