The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) on Wednesday organized stakeholders meeting on ways to improve cow milk production from about 1 litre to 30 litres per cow in a day in order to boost the country’s economy.
Dr Bola Olugbemi, a Director at RMRDC, who is the Coordinator of  the project ‘Development of Integrated Diary and Milk Production’ told participants at the event that the aim was to make  milk production  the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

According to him, the team from RMRDC were in the state to commence a pilot scheme of artificial insemination of some selected cows from few pastoral groups to make them produce the targeted 30 liters per cow in a day instead of the usual 1 litre per day.
“RMRDC team is in the state to liaise with all of you the key stakeholders to select a few pastoral groups to carry out a pilot scheme of artificial insemination on selected cows to come up with a breed that can produce 30 litres of milk each per day.

“The team has already done it successfully in Adamawa and Kaduna states and hopes to continue until dairy production becomes the major source of income for Nigeria,” he said.
Dr David Kassa, theTaraba Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development expressed delight over the project.

According to him, the project would not only boost milk production but would also help the state to tackle farmers/herders clashes since it required cows to be in one place for maximum results.
Kassa noted that the project would perfectly key into the state’s anti open grazing prohibition and ranches establishment law, saying work had already commenced on the livestock training centre at Sunkani, near Jalingo.

Dr Chibuzo  Abieye, an Assistant Director at RMRDC and project Chairman thanked the Taraba Government for the great  show of interest in the project.
She also commended Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmed, the Taraba coordinator of RMRDC for assembling most critical stakeholders for the success of the project.
“I want to commend our state coordinator Ahmed for working tirelessly in assembling these key stakeholders for the success of the project,” she said.

The  stakeholders from the state Ministry of Science and Technology, Taraba State university, National Research Institute, farmers, the media and others attended the meeting.