Jigawa, 2 Firms To Replicate ‘Indian Model’ Of Dairy Revolution

As part of a strategic roadmap to modernise Nigeria’s livestock sub-sector, the Jigawa State government has entered into a technical partnership with L&Z Integrated Dairy and Farms and Sahel Consulting to implement the Advancing Local Dairy Development in Nigeria (ALDDN) project.

The initiative, designed to transition subsistence pastoralism into a high-yield commercial enterprise, seeks to address the dual challenges of low dairy productivity and perennial farmer-herder conflicts through institutionalised genetic transformation and financial inclusion.

Speaking during the inauguration of milk collection and veterinary equipment in Dutse, the commissioner for Livestock Development, Professor Salem Abdulrahman Lawan, lamented the inefficiency of traditional husbandry.

Lawan revealed that the state is finalising plans to establish a semen production centre to facilitate large-scale artificial insemination.

“If you look at history, India was once like Nigeria in terms of production.

But they institutionalised themselves. Today, they have more than 300,000 technicians involved in artificial insemination. We want to replicate that in Jigawa State,” he said.

The Commissioner pointed out the stark yield disparity between local and improved breeds.

“For someone having 20 heads of cattle with our current yield, compared to someone with only two cows taking 80 litres, the former is virtually a waste of feed,” he said.

He noted that while a local cow struggles to produce two to five litres of milk daily, improved breeds in similar climates produce upwards of 30 litres.

The ALDDN project, spearheaded by Sahel Consulting, is focusing not merely on biology but also on the economic integration of pastoralist women.

The team leader of the supporting partners, Abdullahi Baba Muhammed, emphasised that the distribution of equipment, ranging from clinical thermometers and surgical gloves to stainless steel canisters, is tied to a broader sustainability goal.

“We are providing cell phones to the cooperatives, especially the women, to drive financial inclusion. The objective is to ensure that when they bring milk to the L&Z collection centres, we don’t need to handle cash. We can easily transfer their proceeds directly into their accounts,” he said.

He said that, so far, the program has successfully reached 32 cooperative clusters across the state and that, by providing ambulatory kits for animal healthcare and ensuring a hygienic supply chain, the partnership aims to create a template for the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP).

Industry observers believe that if the Jigawa-L&Z-Sahel model is scaled up, it could significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported dairy products, which currently drain billions of dollars in foreign exchange annually.