Mr Atawame’s average of two litres of milk per cow during the rainy season is just slightly higher than the national average by migrant pastoralists.
“The productivity of local cow breeds mostly managed by pastoralists is low at 0.5 to 1.5 litres of milk per day, compared to a global average of 6.6 litres per day by cows managed by pastoralists,” Dianabasi Akpainyang, the national president of the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), says.
Apart from the challenge of the breed of cattle many Nigerian herders use, which experts say is not the best for milk production, the pastoralists are also largely uneducated and get little or no support from the government.
Mr Atawame says he has never had any training on how to improve his practice. He has continued to rear and milk his cattle exactly the way he inherited the practice from his father. Told that he can increase his yield tremendously by using technology and embracing modern practice, he replies hopefully: “I am ready to learn if I have the opportunity.”
Another pastoralist in the community, Abubakar Atiku, says he gets about five litres of milk daily from his cows. He too says he used to get more from his cows.
Nigeria’s untapped potential in milk production
Young people constitute a significant percentage of Nigeria’s estimated population of over 200 million, making the country one of the biggest markets for dairy products. But per capita consumption of milk in the country is eight litres, below the global average of 44 litres, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Official data states that of the estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of milk consumed annually in Nigeria, 60 per cent are imported at $1.5 billion yearly. Yet, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture estimated that Nigeria has about 20 million cattle, making it the fourth-largest cattle population in Africa. About 2.35 million of the animals are involved in dairy production.
However, the nation has not optimised its potential in milk population partly because of the government’s inadequate attention to the animal husbandry sub-sector, populated mainly by Fulani pastoralists who practice at the subsistence level.
Although there are large industrial dairy farms in some parts of the country, a large amount of the local milk production is done by the largely uneducated Fulani pastoralists.
According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, “Nigeria’s milk production accounts for only 13 per cent of West African production and 0.01 per cent of global dairy output”.
Despite its size, relative to other African countries, the Nigerian dairy sector is largely fragmented and inefficient. Yet, with a milk deficit of 1.2 million metric tonnes per annum, the sector offers huge potential for returns on investment.
Decline in milk production
Abubakar Garba, a pastoralist in the Gamoji Fulani community in Gaya Local Government Area of Kano, says the perennial crises between the herders and the farmers have also affected milk production.