No doubt, Nigeria’s livestock sector has been neglected for a long time as a result of the focus on other areas of the agriculture value chain. But, the current administration recently assembled stakeholders at a retreat to brainstorm on the commercialisation of the sector. JOHN OBA reports.
Statistics has it that Nigeria has the largest livestock sector in sub-Sahara Africa with an estimated 19.5 million cattle, 72.5 million goats, 41.3 million sheep, 7.1 million pigs and 28,000 camels, 145 million chickens, 11.6 million ducks, 1.2 million turkeys and 974, 499 donkeys according to the 2011 National Agricultural Sample Survey.
This according to experts, with proper investment and technology application, the sector is rich enough to boost Nigeria’s economy. Hence, the decision of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh to organised a retreat with the theme:
“Setting an Agenda for Commercialising Livestock and Dairy in Nigeria,” with the aim of reviewing existing policies to attract private investment and ensure transformation of the Livestock and diary sectors in line with the livelihood improvement family enterprises (LIFE) initiative, while developing strategies to increase the quality and quantity of livestock and dairy products produced through the application of modern techniques and appropriate technologies. Enhanced value added processing and manufacturing along the livestock commodity value chain for rapid industrialisation and rural development, while also developing the appropriate distribution mechanism and innovative marketing strategies to increase awareness and stimulate demand for Nigeria’s livestock and dairy products in the domestic and international markets.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Shehu Ahmed, said the retreat is coming at a critical time when the national security is threatened by heightened and frequent farmers and pastoralists conflicts; banditry and cattle rustling, resulting in the depletion of the nation’s national herd that was estimated at 19.5 million.
He said reasons why Nigeria has not been able to meet the protein needs of the teaming populace because majority of the country’s livestock are predominantly kept by pastoralist and subsistence smallholder livestock producers which has led into the massive importation of animal protein to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
He said the deliverables expected at the end of the retreat include strategic implementation framework or master plan for commercializing livestock and dairy commodity value chain in Nigeria; financing mechanism and agric-business plan.
Chief Ogbeh, however said emphasis on the development of grazing reserves and stock routes as well as embracing ranching because it is believed this will serve as a panacea for tackling the scourges of heightened and frequent farmers and pastoralists conflicts, banditry and cattle rusting currently ravaging the nation.
He lamented the fact that the livestock sub-sector contributes only 5.1% to the national Gross Domestic Project, making the country a net importer of protein food of animal origin.
“Our milk production is extremely poor with about one litre per cow per day, compared to Brazil and Saudi Arabia of 30 to 40 litres per cow per day.
“The statistics available shows that about 27% of the children in Nigeria are malnourished; this is unacceptable development which must be checked immediately,” he said.
He stated further that the fact confronting Nigeria is paucity of resources due to economic meltdown, adding that the only alternative left is to intensify efforts on production of what can be produced locally and seek partnership and collaboration with private investors, researchers, financial institutions, development partners and friendly nations to develop Nigeria local capacity.
“It is my pleasure to inform you that development of livestock and dairy industry occupies a prime position in the agricultural road map of the current administration. The intention is to develop a sustainable livestock and dairy industry.
Currently, our cattle herdsmen are nomadic, trekking very long distances with their cattle in search of pastures and water. Most often than not, we experience herdsmen and farmers conflicts and this, we must stop. This system affects the quality and quantity of milk as well as beef quality. This primitive system doesn’t allow for any sustainable plan and should be abandoned.
Therefore the following steps are being taken; establishment of ranches to be planted with high quality improved tropical grass varieties and quality water, cattle improvement programme will be aggressively pursued, using artificial insemination; establishment of clusters of dairy farmers which would be equipped with milk collection facilities and capacity building for the dairy farmers,” he explained.
He said there are much rooms for investment in the sector and much room for expansion as there exists very much gaps in the industry.
He therefore called for investment in the sector, assuring that the Federal and state governments are ready to create enabling environment for desiring investors in Nigeria which will contribute to making Nigeria self-sufficient in livestock and dairy production and a net exporter to other West African countries in the nearest future.
The Governor of Sokoto state, Amino Waziri Tambuwah called for a constructive engagement with the herdsmen and herds owners in other to understand the grazing reserve policy promoted by the federal government.
“We support and commend the federal government for initiating the grazing reserve policy, the roaming about of cattles is not the best way to feed them, there must be a constructive engagement with the herdsmen and herds owners so that they can understand the policy of the federal government, in sokoto state, we are ready to host the feral government and organise the miyati allah and the herdsmen to put the conflict to an end.”
Governor Tambuwah further explained that the state is ready and willing to provide farm lands for grazing reserve and called on the herdsmen to embrace this policy in other to secure their lives and that of their cattles.
He advice herdsmen and herds owners to lay down their arms and embrace the federal government policy of grave reserve for their cattles in other to put to an end the incessant conflict between herdsmen and farmers which results to the loss of lives and properties of the Nigerian citizens.
The acting Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Industry, Mr Waheed Olagunju, said the bank is ready to partner with the ministry on this saying it has rapidly expanded its risk assets without compromising quality such that the ratio of its non performing loans is currently 3.8% which is one of the lowest in Nigeria.
Adding that in line with the bank’s commodity-based industrialization strategy that emphasise adding value to Nigeria’s vast agricultural, solid minerals and petroleum resources.