Nigeria’s Dairy Challenge: Many Cows, Little Milk

Despite having more than 20 million cattle, Nigeria produces far less milk than it consumes, highlighting deep structural challenges in its dairy sector. Most cattle in the country are traditional pastoral breeds with very low milk yields, often producing only about 1–2 litres of milk per cow per day, compared with over 30 litres from high-yield dairy breeds in developed dairy systems.

As a result, domestic production remains limited at around 700,000 tonnes of milk annually, while national consumption is estimated at about 1.6 million tonnes, forcing the country to rely heavily on imports. This gap means Nigeria imports roughly 60% of its dairy needs, spending about $1.5 billion each year on dairy imports despite its large livestock population.

Experts say factors such as low-yield breeds, nomadic grazing systems, limited processing infrastructure and poor feed availability are major constraints preventing the country from fully utilising its cattle population for milk production. Efforts are now underway to improve productivity through initiatives such as importing higher-yield dairy cattle and expanding breeding programmes, with the goal of doubling national milk output to about 1.4 million tonnes annually within five years to reduce dependence on imports.

Source: Dairynews7x7 13th March, 2026 Read full story here

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