Nigeria is now an important diary milk production base. This is as a result of the rapid strides made by some Zimbabwean farmers at Shonga in Kwara State. While addressing a national seminar on commercial agriculture organised by the Agriculture and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, one of the farmers, Paul Retzlaff, told the conference that dairy farming is the recipe for wealth creation.
Even though they were facing some challenges, Retzlaff said their dairy farm was a successful project that can be replicated all over the country.
He said the market can cater for more than six million litres of milk per day with more than 50 per cent imported $1.5 billion per annum.
Even though Nigeria has a large market for locally produced dairy products, there are still very few dairy farms in the country.
He said the nation’s demand for beef and dairy products cannot currently be met locally.
To start, he explained, that they imported 800 jersey cattle from South Africa. The first challenge they met was that there was a market with preference for powdered milk in Nigeria.But they were going to sell fresh milk.
To address this problem, Retzlaff said they had to sell their milk to the powder importers who are replacing the powder with fresh milk, on a very small scale at the moment but hopefully to grow quickly. According to him, they produce their fresh milk, which West African Milk Company (WAMCO) take the milk to Lagos. The more that system works, the more WAMCO would increase. WAMCO is taking 1,500 litres of fresh milk from Shonga daily at the moment. This can be increased to 3,000 litres or even more, he said.
He said there are more opportunities for Nigerians to come on board.
Current statistics indicate that 6.6 million litres of milk are consumed daily. Shonga only produces 6,000 litres.
He told the workshop that some farmers are using their technologies to improve milk production.
For Nigeria to make target consumption, he said the nation needs 100 milk processing factories working at full capacity.
One of their strategies to save costs and provide employment is to use local farmers to supply maize for the cows at the dairy.
He said there are significant opportunities are in cattle farming for meat products and milk production as well as other dairy produce such as cheese and yoghurt.
The major challenges in establishing the dairy farms, he mentioned, included clearing virgin land, importing cows and equipment, dealing with a hostile environment for exotic cows, etc.
He lamented that he could only scratch the surface of the demand from WAMCO because dairy farming is capital intensive. He had to import the high milk-yielding cows. Even then, they are not used to this environment. Retzlaff and his colleagues found that the cows were susceptible to heat and snake bites and resorted to using Fulani cows which can withstand the harsh weather condition.
He encouraged the local dairy farmers to bring their cows for milking everyday and pay commercial rates.
He said one of the Fulani cattle rearers have discovered the untapped economic potential of their cows, adding that he would want to start his own.
On the long run, the Fulani cows need to be genetically improved to become high milk yielding ones since the present breed produces about one 10 of the milk produced by the imported ones.
One requirement given to them by WAMCO is that they don’t use any animal with growth hormones and antibiotic.
Retzlaff who belongs to a generation of farmers, said dairy farming is a way of life for him as his family has been in dairy farming. His family used careful strategies and good fortune to grow their dairy operation over the years to its present size.
He said they need skilled labourers, skilled tradesmen to service and repair our equipment, plus well trained electricians.
The promise of a constant electricity supply has not yet materialised, although there are many electrical poles and wires on our farm. Retzlaff said he produces its own brand of milk and yoghurt drinks.
What new entrants need, he said, are land and facilities to house and feed the cows.
What were the major challenges in first establishing the dairy farms? The challenges were not out of the ordinary and included clearing virgin land, importing cows and equipment, dealing with a hostile environment for exotic cows, etc.
Retzlaff serves as a successful model of smallholder dairy farmer and is used by the ARMTI and other agricultural organisation as a success story to motivate the upcoming smallholder dairy farmers in the area.
He has been able to diversify his dairy business into value-added milk products. Continuous learning has already helped him to improve his dairy enterprise.
His farm boasts among the best stock one can find anywhere in the country.
He produces more than 50 litres of milk a day. Currently, the electricity rationing programme has slowed down the farm’s operations. Retzlaff believes a future in dairying for young people. For him, the best way to do the business is invest in quality cows, affordable feed sources and enough space to exercise animals. Like any business, there are ups and downs. He loves cows and life on the farm.
He suggests that the government and the banks consider giving credit to small scale farmers to enable them to feed their animals for maximum returns.
He said once milk production is optimised, a farmer will be able to comfortably service a bank loan or any credit advanced to him and at the same time improves his living standards.
There is hope of establishing a breeding centre where he can concentrate all technologies to produce high yielding animals that are also accessible to farmers in terms of cost.
With this kind of income reaching the farm annually, Retzlaff believes the government will be able to move millions of people from below the poverty line to the middle-income brackets. |
.gif)
.jpg "Calcium")
