Image from Ashely Market Place
Nigeria spends about $1.3 billion a year on imported dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, butter and other dairy products.
For the larger part, Nigeria is not involved in the more productive aspects of the industry. At the moment, the value of Nigeria's dairy business is about $1.5 billion, with over 90 per cent of that amount accounting for importation, packaging and distribution of milk to consumers.
Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar said the dairy industry has huge potential, such as the creation of millions of jobs and the generation of about N300 billion monthly for the country.
She lamented that 85 per cent of Nigeria's 19.5 million cattle,are owned and managed by small holder, subsistent and nomadic herdsmen, leaving the remaining 15 per cent in the hands of medium and large scale farmers in managed pastures.
Local
dairy production faces a number of challenges that have affected quality and quantity, include limited availability of quality and affordable feeds, inadequate infrastructure including access roads and milk cooling facilities, limited extension services, low value addition to absorb surpluses during glut, and limited access to markets and market information.
It is reported that the development of Nigeria's dairy industry will certainly promote the prosperity of its packaging industry. Nigeria, which lacks cold chain equipment and a complete packaging industry chain, will inevitably have strong demand for packaging products and packaging machinery.
