Miyetti Allah advocates milk centres as CBN claims spending N40b

 

Herders have identified development of milk centres as a powerful tool to curb frequent conflicts with the crops' farmers, even as the Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) claimed to have spent N40b on dairy productivity.

Both the President, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Baba Othman Ngelzarma and the CBN representative, Hassan Abdulrahman said this at the June 1st milk day celebration held in Abuja.

Baba Othman Ngelzarma 

identified milk collection centres across the nation as a veritable tool to checkmate animals being roamed into farms thereby causing conflicts and untimely death.

He pointed that Government effective intervention in the development of this dairy business concept would curb incessant fight between farmers and herders even as both will now work together in a more peaceful economic environment towards better livelihood in the rural areas.

MACBAN president cited example of a particular company who had demonstrated the possibility of milk collection centre to prevent conflicts among herdsmen/farmers saying the existence of the centre had rekindled peace and tranquility as animals are no longer roamed about.

According to him ‘‘ a milk collection centre has helped to put a stop in the roaming around of cattle, having the herders kids going to school within the centre, and has also seen an end to the farmers/herders clash with both parties leaving together peacefully. But without the milk collection centre being closed to where herders live may have resulted to the movement of cattle from one end of the country to the other’’ 

He commended the FG's effort releasing N5b specifically as loan facility for the development of the livestock sector across all the value chains thereby called on Bank of Agriculture where the money is domiciled to be very responsive to their members who are genuinely qualified to access the loan.

Also speaking on the occasion Director, Development Finance Department, Philip Yila Yusuf, represented by Hassan Abdulrahman, who pointed that the  apex bank has expended over N40b on dairy products productivity, although details of how the said amount was expended was not given on the occasion.

According to him “We at the CBN are committed to the development of the livestock sub-sector as evident by our interventions in facilitating funding for numerous projects under our Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS), Agribusiness Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMElS), Real Sector Support Facility-Differentiated Cash Reserve Requirement (RSSF-DCRR) etc, to the tune of over N40 billion.

The National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arch. Ibrahim Kabir assured investors the commitment of President Tinubu and his vice to ensuring availability of foreign exchange at affordable rates from the CBN adding that the private sector must be well supported in the galvanization of the dairy sub sector economy.

The Permanent Secretary (PS), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, said the attempts by the ministry and its partners to intensify backward integration of dairy industry in line with Government policy on increased use of local content has started yielding positive results.

Umakhihe explained that the ministry has supported capacity building and empowerment programmes for dairy farmers on hygienic milk production and processing; construction and equipping of milk collection centres in areas with comparative advantage for dairy; feed-milling facilities for production of ruminant feeds, pasture collection centres, animal handling centres, cattle feedlots, climate smart poultry and goat houses, among others.

PS promised collaboration with relevant MDAs organisations, institutions and associations in addressing the nutritional needs of Nigerians through milk and dairy development.