Chief Audu Ogbeh
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu
Ogbeh, has said cows raised in Nigeria are the worst milk producers in
the world.
He said an average cow in the country produces less that one litre
of milk per day compared to those from other countries where a cow could
produce 100 litres per day.
Ogbeh said this at the 79th anniversary of Ikoyi Club 1938 in Lagos on Thursday.
According to the minister, an average cow in Holland produces a
minimum of 50 litres of milk per day, while in the United States, milk
production per cow can rise to over 100 litres.
He said moving cows from place to place was a major problem
affecting meat and milk production in Nigeria, stressing that the
earlier farmers started developing ranches for cows, the better it would
be for the cow market and its entire value chain.
“An average cow in the US drinks an average of 100 litres of
water per day; but in Nigeria, I doubt whether a cow can get two litres
of water per week,” Ogbeh added.
The minister also stated that the country accounted for 67 per cent
of the world’s yam production, adding that there were more
opportunities for Nigeria to grow its share of the market, valued at
$12bn, given the over 50 million hectares of land lying fallow in the
country.
To give the agricultural sector a major boost, he said the Bank of
Agriculture would soon be restructured so that every local government in
the country would have at least a two-room branch.
0 comments:
Post a Comment