EXTRA: Nigerian cows are the worst milk producers in the world, says Ogbeh

Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development, says cows raised in Nigeria are the worst milk producers in the world.

Speaking at the 79th anniversary of Ikoyi Club 1938 in Lagos on Thursday, he said Nigerian cows produce far less quantity of milk than their counterparts in other parts of the world.

Ogbeh said while cows in other countries could produce 100 litres of milk per day, an average cow in Nigeria produces less than one litre.

He said cows in Holland produce a minimum of 50 litres of milk per day on the average while the US boasts of even more production.

“An average cow in the US drinks an average of 100 litres of water per day; but in Nigeria, I doubt whether a cow can get two liters of water per week,” the minister said.

He identified the nomadic system of rearing cattle in the country as the major cause of such low productivity.

“The earlier farmers started developing ranches for cows, the better it would be for the cow market and its entire value chain,” he said.