Niger partners with investors to boost dairy production

NIGER – The Niger State Government has announced new partnerships with local and international investors to enhance dairy and sugar production as part of its ongoing agricultural transformation drive.

Governor Umaru Bago, who led a delegation of development partners and investors to inspect one of the Niger Food farms, said the state was leveraging collaborations to boost its livestock and dairy industry.

He said his administration was leveraging on development partners to boost its livestock industry, especially in dairy production.

The initiative aligns with global best practices and fits into his administration’s broader vision to transform the agricultural sector for the overall prosperity of all Nigerians.

As part of the plan, the state government will also vaccinate all cattle against diseases that are detrimental to the effective production of dairy products.

Bago noted that the farm inspection was aimed at assessing progress, identifying opportunities, and strengthening national policy on food security and sovereignty.

Governor Umaru Bago emphasized the importance of vaccinating all cattle against diseases that could hinder effective dairy production.

He also noted that the state has allocated 20,000 hectares of land to increase sugar production, aligning with efforts to strengthen national food security and sovereignty.

Governor Bago hosted a delegation that included the Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria, John Coumantaros, and investors from Brazil, the United States, and South Africa, who were in Minna to explore investment opportunities.

The governor stated that these collaborations aim to transform Nigeria’s agricultural landscape by enhancing agrarian value chains.

In addition to dairy and sugar production, the state plans to improve seed production to address one of the significant challenges faced by Nigerian farmers—access to the right seeds.

The collaboration with Brazilian investors is expected to develop animal pasture for quality milk production and transition local abattoirs from packaging blood meat to frozen meat.

Flour Mills of Nigeria Chairman, Coumantaros, said the collaboration would transform the livelihoods of farmers through various agricultural programs, adding that it would help reshape the state’s ecosystem by expanding sugar production and the production of seeds, which will be evenly distributed to farmers.

This move aligns with Nigeria’s broader goals of reducing import dependency and boosting local food production.

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