NJEMANZE EMMANUEL , Abuja
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muktar Maiha, in addressing a Press Conference, on the activities of the Ministry since its creation, spoke about the mandate given to the nascent ministry, which is to modernize the livestock industry, making it one of the major drivers in the nation’s economic dynamics, unlock the value and volume of it’s potential businesses, and achieve food security and nutritional needs of the country.
He enumerated the activities since inception and the Ministry’s target goals.
The Minister revealed that one of the Ministry’s aims is to expand the livestock sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the national treasury from $32 billion to $74 billion by 2035.
He stated that by so doing, he will be able to position the nation’s livestock industry as a major player in the local as well as international market for animal protein just as other known players like Brazil, Argentina and the United States.
He maintained that livestock sector is expected to galvanize 500,000 jobs, contributing to unemployment reductions, at the same time motivating and driving the rural economy by 2027.
He also disclosed that the ministry is revamping grazing reserves nationwide, equipping them with adequate infrastructures such as feed and fodder, water resources, veterinary services, and schools for pastoral families.
In his words, ” more than 417 grazing reserves spanning over 5 million hectares, the government aims to transform these areas into economic hubs for beef production, dairy farming, and leather processing.
On international partnerships, he made mentioned that the ministry has secured significant investment commitments from international partners.
Indicating One of the most remarkable of these business openings spearheaded by Mr President, Ahmed Bola Tinubu was the Brazil-Nigeria Trade Mission that secured a whopping $2.5 billion investment deal with JBS S.A., the world’s largest meat processing company.
According to him, this partnership is expected to establish a large-scale meat processing plant for beef, poultry and pig production, create over 50,000 direct and indirect jobs in our national meat industry, enhancing the country’s participation in the global livestock market, thereby exporting to the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.
He disclosed also that discussions are ongoing with private-sector investors from the US, France, the UK, China, Morocco, and others for robust investment development in the sector.
He hinted on the priority being accorded to the development of our abattoir system in order to meet international best standard practice.
On the need for verifiable data on our livestock population across the country, Maiha recognized the need for leveraging technology to conduct a national livestock census.
He informed that, “The last official census was in 1991, making current figures unreliable. A national livestock identification and tracking system has been launched to monitor the animal population, prevent theft, and improve disease management.
On animal health management, the Honourable Minister said the government is according priority to that, as Nigeria currently imports $1.5 billion worth of vaccines annually. Plans are underway to commercialize the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), to ensure the domestic production of at least 1.2 billion vaccines.
“Currently, the livestock sector contributes approximately, five per cent to Nigerian GDP. The Ministry’s ambitious goal is to double the contribution through policy reforms, investments and improved production. Strategies include increasing milk yields from current two litres per cow per day to at least, 30 litres, and improving beef cattle growth rates to reach market weight within two and a half years.
On livestock genetics improvement, the Minister declared, “We are embarking on massive genetic upgrade of our livestock to boost productivity.
“This will be achieved through methodical improvements in breeding, animal health, and feed production. Our goal is to move from subsistence to commercial-scale operations, ensuring that Nigeria becomes a major player in global livestock trade.”
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