Obaseki Expresses Concern Over $500m Annual Nigerian Dairy Import Spending

According to the governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Nigeria spends over N500 million a year on the importation of dairy goods, necessitating a shift in emphasis to agriculture and production.

At the Government House in Benin City, Edo State, the governor made these remarks as he welcomed a delegation from Heifer International.

He stated that his administration is putting an emphasis on agricultural output and maintaining investment in the industry in order to strengthen the state’s economy, address food insecurity, and generate wealth for its people.

He claimed that “we have a small State with around five million people, 70% of them are under the age of 35, and we need to make them know and understand that we no longer have the cash to import food as Nigeria spends over half a billion US dollars importing dairy goods.”

“Food and food security are very important, especially in terms of providing enough protein for the majority of our population, particularly youngsters,” stated Obaseki. We are a wealthy nation with a sizable and wealthy population, and at some point in our history, we stopped producing agricultural products because we had discovered crude oil and believed we had enough dollars, naira, and gas to get by, forgetting that sometimes in life, we must produce the food we will eat.

“By exporting everything we needed, even food and food items, we became impoverished. We spend billions of dollars and naira every year on food that we can grow ourselves.

He remarked that his administration benefits much from collaboration and that, as a government, “we regard our duty as one of enabling things to happen.

As enablers, we see our job as being able to mobilize resources, notably human talent and expertise, and direct them where we think they should go first.

“Interestingly, we work with partners to start projects in the agricultural sector, but we face challenges that we are working to overcome. We have received a commitment from our partners to invest in a contemporary farm where we will raise day-old chicks and sell them.

It’s a long way to go and a lot of effort, but we are happy with the support and technology from the front end and recognize that we need to go back the value chain and consider how to create the grains, vitamins, feeds, and everything else needed to build the chicken industry.

As the governor reflected on the benefits of the government’s investment in agriculture, he said: “Last year, we provided 60,000 hectares of new farmland for estate farmers to grow oil palm. The lessons learned for us are to collaborate with our partners to create the institution that will train extension agents, farmers, and humans to help us understand what is happening, support the farmers and keep an eye on what they are doing to ensure their yield and help them make money and sustain their businesses.

“As a government, we are investing within the government, reshaping our perspective, and transitioning from a time when government used to invest to one where government now only facilitates investment. Although it is not an easy adjustment, the government is continuing to make those investments and keep its attention on it.

“The relationship we value most is the one we have with Heifer International. Achieving 79 years of existence and expertise is no minor feat, so we are happy you are here to see what we are up to. We will do everything in our power to take advantage of this cooperation opportunity.

Hilary Haddigan, the delegation’s head, had earlier praised the government’s dedication to ensuring food security and added, “We represent almost 500 partners and funders that support our efforts. We support 10 million smallholder farmers as part of our commitment to alleviate poverty and protect the environment.

We spoke to farmers in the State who are getting ready to receive chicken goods. We would like to collaborate with your administration and thank you for making smallholder farmers in Edo State happy.