Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Venue: NAF Conference Centre and Suites, Abuja
Attendance: 160 (Physical) 25 (Online)
Theme: Strengthening the Local Dairy Sector in Nigeria: Addressing the Pain-Points for Sustainable Impact
Preamble
The Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN) organised the World Milk Day Conference to mark World Milk Day and to bring together stakeholders in the dairy sector for learning, discussions and networking aimed at the sustainable development of Nigeria’s dairy sector. Several presentations were made at the conference to broaden the knowledge of participants and harmonize ideas on how to address the challenges of the dairy sector for sustainable impact.
The main presentations were:
- Strengthening the Local Dairy Sector in Nigeria: Addressing the Pain-Points for Sustainable Impact. A Keynote Address by Mr Fred Kafeero
- Dairy Business and Nigeria’s Post-COVID Economic Outlook: Trends and Opportunities by Dr Ikechukwu Kelikume
- Investing in Midstream Operations: Path to Sustainable Milk Supply in Nigeria by Alhaji M.D. Abubakar
- Why Dairy Businesses and Projects Fail by Mr Africanfarmer Mogaji
- To Ranch or not to Ranch? Contextualizing Production Systems for Long Term Profitability – by Professor Demo Kalla
- Backward Integration in Nigerian Dairy: Lessons from the Advancing Local Dairy Development (ALDDN) Programme – by Dr Hafsat Grema
A panel discussion session focusing on the conference theme, took place with the following members:
Moderator:
Mrs Dolapo Enejoh, Programme Manager and Technical Anchor, Agriculture and Food Security Policy Commission, Nigerian Economic Summit Group
Panelists
- Mrs Ndidi Nwuneli, Managing Partner, Sahel Consulting
- Mr Sheyin Shekarri, MD/CEO, Integrated Dairies Limited
- Dr Audu Grema, Senior Programme Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)
- Mr Olayiwola John Adekunle, General Manager, Dairy Development Operations, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc
- Mr Snorri Sigurdsson, Senior Project Manager, Arla Foods Nigeria
Following guest lectures, panelists’ views and participants’ comments, the following resolutions were taken:
Resolutions
- The dairy sub-sector is crucial to the growth of the agricultural sector as a whole
- There are diverse opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs at all stages of the dairy value chain
- Stakeholders should get involved in the processes of policy formulation and implementation
- Stakeholders should foster partnerships now more than ever
- Livestock farming and dairy value chain is scientific business. The movement of cattle through long distance in search of fodder and water should be discouraged.
- Farming and dairy business is serious business and effort should be made to attract more investments into the sector.
- Stakeholders should invest in improved commercial dairy practice through the encouragement of ranching across the country
- Embracing these high yield breeds require educating local and commercial dairy farmers on the science of managing, feeding, housing and caring for the breeds.
- Sustainable dairy business and milk production is achievable in Nigeria if cows are allowed to express their true genetic potential.
- Backward integration initiatives should focus on channeling investments to developing the midstream subsector before further investments could be channeled to production (upstream).
- Government should create incentives for new investments in the midstream sub-sector with the right policies
- All critical stakeholders in the dairy sector should work collaboratively, fostering partnerships for sustainable development of the sector.
- The need to create a database for the dairy sector – a repository of undisputed data on the sector’s activities and players, accessible to stakeholders.
- The need to track and record the cumulative performance of the dairy sector, for comparative analysis and assessment of key progress indicators. Figures and data on the sector’s performance should be shared with stakeholders by CODARAN, starting from the World Milk Day Conference in 2022.
- Dairy companies should adopt business models that are sustainable and resilient, to better respond to unexpected shocks that may hit the dairy ecosystem and the general business environment from time to time, like the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Dairy corporations in the country should be more transparent in their operations, especially with regards to backward integration initiatives.
- The need for more investment in animal health management and veterinary services that are accessible to small-scale farmers in rural areas to avoid improper medication of cattle by farmers and its attendant negative effects on milk quality, animal and human wellbeing.
- More investments required to establish milk bulking and collection centres close to farms to provide ready and assured markets for milk.
- Investment in solar-powered boreholes in rural communities is critical to tackling water scarcity, thus reducing the need to move cattle around.
- Private sector players should key into feed and fodder supply business which has very high demand and is lucrative, and a sure way to cutting out farmer-herder conflicts in parts of the country.
- Increase community engagement is needed to create a mindset change for rural community dwellers who engage in animal husbandry, to see and approach it as business.
- Capacity building for smallholder farmers and pastoralists should be continuous and intensified through effective extension services.
- Dairy sector stakeholders should play a part in the budgetary processes of government at federal and state levels, to press for increase budgetary allocations to dairy development.
- Government must address the dearth of rural infrastructure – bad roads, lack of potable water, poor healthcare facilities, non-existent or unstable electricity, among others.
- Government must give serious attention to addressing pervasive insecurity which is crippling dairy business operations in many communities in Nigeria.
- The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should move urgently to support local dairy sector operators, especially those operating in the Bobi Grazing Reserve in Niger State where bandits invaded recently and carted away items belonging to investors.
- Stakeholders in the sector should engage government officials more at all levels, sharing best practices in dairy development so that government policies and pronouncements would engender an enabling environment for dairy businesses to thrive.
- In view of the recent report of Nigeria to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by the European Union, bothering on activities in the dairy sector, Nigerian companies in the dairy value chain and all critical stakeholders must invest in the sustainable development of the local dairy sector, as a matter of high priority.
Conclusion
Stakeholders resolved to work collaboratively to develop the dairy sector and CODARAN would remain at the forefront of advocating for an enabling and business friendly environment for dairy businesses to thrive. The next conference in 2022 will provide a platform to review the progress made from the resolutions of this conference.
Conference Sponsors
- Integrated Dairies Limited (IDL)
- Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited
- L&Z Integrated Farms Limited
- Sebore International Farms Limited
- FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc
- Arla Foods Nigeria
- Habib Yoghurt Limited
- Basako Soft Drinks Limited
- Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
- Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD)