On Tuesday, Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced establishment of Ministry of Livestock Development to tackle obstacle to agricultural productivity, to open up new opportunities which benefit farmers, herders, processors, and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain.
Tinubu who made the announcement during the inauguration of Presidential Committee on Implementation of livestock reforms to be chaired by himself and co-chaired by the ex- INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega to solve the lifelong problem of farmers-herders crisis.
The President noted that the traditional method of livestock farming will need to be reviewed and repositioned with the support of stakeholders, which include State govts, in order to open up new opportunities for growth and prosperity.
“Establishing a centric Ministry called the Ministry of Livestock Development will give us the opportunity so that our veterinary doctors can have the necessary access to research and cross-breed. We can stop the wanton killings,’’ Tinubu stated.
In his reaction to the development, the Special Adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun said beyond solving lifelong problem of farmers-herders crisis, the Livestock Industry in Nigeria is potential multi-billion dollar industry with the capacity to fast-track the ongoing economic diversification process.
Citing some instances, Tinubu’s aide stated that currently, livestock contributes about 10% to Nigeria’s non-oil GDP and accounts for approximately 30% of the agricultural GDP, adding that the sector employs about 20 million Nigerians directly and indirectly.
Dada disclosed that the annual income from livestock farming is estimated to be over ₦1.33 trillion (about $3.2 billion), revealing that the sector currently produces around 8.5 million tons of meat and 1.4 million tons of milk annually.
According to him, “Livestock generates over 150 million tons of manure annually, which can be used to improve soil fertility. Hides and skins industry, supported by livestock, is valued at around ₦500 billion ($1.2 billion). The meat processing industry is valued at approximately ₦3 trillion ($7.2 billion).
Adding, “The leather industry, which relies on livestock, generates about ₦1 billion ($2.4 million) in exports annually. Nigeria exports approximately 15,000 tons of meat and meat products annually. The export potential for livestock products is valued at around ₦200 billion ($480 million) annually”.
He pressed further that the livestock sector attracts around ₦70 billion ($168 million) in local and foreign investments annually and integrated livestock-crop farming systems can improve overall farm productivity by up to 40%.
Dada laid emphasis on proper management which he said can reduce overgrazing, impacting over 200,000 hectares of land positively, revealing further that livestock sector contributes ₦300bn ($720m) in taxes and levies annually while export duties from livestock products generate about ₦50 billion ($120 million) annually.
“Livestock-related festivals and events attract over 1 million tourists annually. (Argungu, etc). These events contribute approximately ₦10 billion ($24 million) to the tourism sector”, the President’s aide added.
He submitted that the proposed creation of a new Ministry for this goldmine will provide a lifeline for the government towards turning a chaotic situation to economic opportunities that will provide jobs and bring the needed dollars for forex purposes.
He stated that this another milestone of the Renewed Hope of Mr President as done with the Blue Economy, the Mining and Creative Economy, adding that this is surely another legacy expected to provide a foundation for the economic growth deserving of this nation in the years to come.
