Ekiti Set to Boost Milk Production with 227 Dairy Cows from US

Ekiti State Government has received 227 pregnant cows from the United States of America to boost dairy production in the state.

The animals arrived at Ikun Dairy Farm in Ikun-Ekiti where plans are ongoing to commence production of 10,000 litres of milk daily

The integrated dairy farm is a joint project of Ekiti State Government and Promasidor Diary Company.

According to the governor of the state, Kayode Fayemi the development would serve as a prototype for National Livestock Transformation Plan in Nigeria.

He disclosed this while inspecting the newly-arrived cows as well as the wide-ranging land earmarked for the cultivation of fodder crops for animals.

In the governor’s remark, this will also help address the farmers-herders crisis in the state.

Fayemi also noted that the new pregnant cows will be confined to their sheds and prevented from roaming about in search of pasture because about 500 hectares of land had already been acquired to grow plants.

In his words, “This dairy farm has been here for 40 years and it has not been put to use. This is the first time that it is going to be put into proper use.

“Agriculture, as we have always said in the state, is the pathway to progress, particularly for us, we are an agrarian society.

” The capacity of the Dairy Farm, being put to use for the first time in the last 40 years, has been expanded to run 24-hour operation in raising of cattle and production of milk.

” The dairy farm will also demonstrate Nigeria’s capacity to be a milk-producing nation rather than being a milk importing nation,” he said.

The governor, however, stated that appropriate measures had been put in place for seamless water supply to the farm and irrigation of the fodder crops.