A Professor of Animal Science, Prof. Moshood Adewale Belewu has stressed the importance of milk consumption in supplying essential nutrients needed for rapid development of human body.
Prof. Belewu stress the importance during a presentation of a paper at an event in commemoration of this year's World Milk Day, organised by Dairy Association of Nigeria (DAN), in conjunction with the Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, held at the Ministry's Headquarters in Ilorin with the theme "Milk; A Crowd Pleaser".
Prof. Belewu, who is also the National President of the Association, explained that milk contains essential nutrients like protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and others needed for healthy growth of both physical and intellectual functioning of the body in addition to its medicinal value in preventing heartburn and other related diseases.
He disclosed that the association is relentlessly working towards unlocking the potentials of the dairy subsector with a view to make the country milk sufficient where the populace access milk with little or no barrier of cost or distance.
Prof. Belewu commended the state government's efforts in enhancing milk production through its various programmes such as Special Agro Processing Zone (SAPZ), Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Scheme (L-PRESS) and building of Milk Collection Centres across the State.
The chairman of the occasion, Dr. Ibrahim Folorunsho Ayanda, remarked that every June 1st of the year was set aside by the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) to educate citizens on the health benefits of milk intake.
Dr. Ayanda charged every individual to ensure inclusion of milk as part of their daily meals.
In his remarks, the Director, Animal Husbandry Services, State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mallam Mohammed Hammed Umar, said the significance of World Milk Day is to create awareness on the benefits imbedded in milk consumption in view of it's usefulness to the growth of human body and to also to complement the present government's strides in milk production in the state.
According to him, this was why the state government partnered with Friesland Wamco in building milk collecting centres across the state.
Mallam Umar also stated that Kwara state was among the few states with comparative advantage in dairy production due to the number of herders and castle in the state, adding that herders needed to be involved in milk production in order to meet up with public needs.
Mallam Umar also disclosed that feed mill centres have been built in some parts of the state through the federal government intervention programme to process feed for ruminant animal and preserved it against dry season to minimise herders migration in the country.
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