- FG, Firm Sign MoU on Milk Production
In its bid to boost milk production and end the crisis between herdsmen and farmer, the Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with LZ Intergrated Dairy Farm.
According to the Managing Director of LZ farms, Mr. Mohammad Abubakar, the MoU will ensure that Fulani herdsmen are engaged on a commercial basis in milk production, adding that it will further reduce the movement of cattle across the country by the herdsmen.
Speaking on the sidelines of the MoU -signing event at the Abuja headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abubakar said, “Nigeria is no doubt feeling the impact of the roaming about of the herdsmen and their contributions to the economy will be more when this is stopped.”
He said the agreement would register the herdsmen in cooperatives so that the raw milk could be easily collected and put into the production of fresh milk.
He added that the herdsmen could be trained to improve the quality of their herds, which would in turn enhance dairy production across the country.
In his remarks, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, lamented that Nigeria still imported a lot of powdered milk, stressing that such product was not as good as fresh milk.
He said the government was willing to partner LZ farm to boost the dairy industry and serve as effort in resolving the conflict between herdsmen and farmers.
Ogbeh said, “The conflict between herdsmen and farmers is very undesirable for a country that has 45 million hectares of empty land and then watching cattle breeders wander about, destroying farmlands.
“But because we have neglected this sector for too long, we have the crisis with us and the best way to solve it is retracing our steps and doing what LZ has done and what they are willing to do.”
