The United States (U.S.) Government has approved the shipment of pregnant Jersey breed dairy cows to Nigeria as part of its effort to support the West African country’s dairy industry.
The cows have been delivered to the Ikun Dairy Farm which belongs to Promasidor Nigeria Limited and the Ekiti State Government. The Ikun Dairy Farm will be receiving two additional shipments of dairy cows from the United States over the a couple of weeks and plans to produce 10,000 litres of milk daily,
Nigeria’s rapidly growing dairy industry will be gaining a better breed of cows, which will further strengthen the revenue streams of Africa’s largest economy.
Gerald Smith, the Counselor for Agricultural Affairs at the US Mission to Nigeria, noted that the introduction of US dairy cows will improve local milk production and make a major contribution to ensuring that Nigeria’s food security is sustainable.
Smith clarified that the successful shipment of cattle was the result of a close collaboration between the US Mission’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Nigeria, the Ikun Dairy Farm, and senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture of Nigeria, assisted by the Nigerian Central Bank (CBN).
Smith said, “The United States is the leader in producing dairy cows. Promasidor Nigeria Limited in partnership with the Ekiti State Government, and with the strong support of the CBN has successfully started an integrated dairy industry in Nigeria with the acquisition of the first batch of pregnant Jersey breed dairy cows from the US. A sustainable dairy industry requires modern genetic cows. This collaboration marks the beginning of increase in milk production and the enhancement of the dairy value chain in Nigeria.”
Source: businesselitesafrica.com
