Nigeria has an estimated annual milk consumption of 1.7 million tons, but local production meets only about 34% of demand, while importation makes up for the deficit. As a result of the production deficit Nigeria spends an average of US$480.3 million on the importation of milk annually.
Cattle milk production is still mainly at the subsistence level with low productivity at 213 liters per cow per year. In 2018, local production of raw milk was estimated at 585,000 tons annually, which is just 40% of the raw milk demand. The huge demand-supply gap has always been bridged through the importation of powdered milk. The problem has also been compounded by the increase of conflicts between crop farmers and Fulani pastoralists concerning the use of the land resources, as intensification of both the crop and livestock production is leading to the reduction in the size of grazing lands.
In order to boost local milk production in Nigeria, the 2SCALE programme has signed a partnership agreement with FrieslandCampina WAMCO (FCW) with the aim to sustainably transform and lead the local dairy sector in Nigeria by supporting Fulani Milk Producers (FMP)’ transition into modern dairy farmers and developing key infrastructure required for a sustainable value chain.
