The annual World Milk Day celebrations have been used by stakeholders to raise awareness on the nutritional value of milk and to celebrate the contributions of the dairy sector to sustainability, economic development, livelihoods, and nutrition. As the build up to this year’s World Milk Day draws near, stakeholders in the dairy sub-sector are strategizing on how to get the authorities to pay greater attention to dairy products production in the country.
Part of the strategy is the collaboration of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), Sahel Nigeria Limited and Agriculture Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN) to jointly celebrate the 2023 World Milk Day. This year’s event which will be held at the Trade and Convention Centre of ACCI along the International Airport road from 30th May to 1st June, 2023, has assured its theme, “Sustainable Dairy: Good for the Planet, Good for you.”
In a joint press statement by stakeholders made available to Core TV News, Director General ACCI, Victoria Akai said milk is a very vital nutrient to healthy diet for human development especially for young and aged people. Also the President, Agricultural Correspondents of Nigeria (ACAN) John Oba has advised the Federal Government (FG) to embark on private sector motivation into surplus milk production towards sustainable productivity for human consumption.
Moreso, the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), the apex body promoting the interest of commercial dairy industry operators in Nigeria, Dianabasi Akpainyang, said experts in the dairy industry and experienced industry practitioners will be on hand as speakers and panelists to provide invaluable insights on workable financing strategies that Nigeria can adopt to build a globally competitive dairy industry.
However, the most crippling challenges in the dairy sector are found in the midstream sub-sector of the dairy value chain. This, in practical terms refers to all the activities that take place after the milk is extracted from the cow to when it gets to a processing facility or the open market.