The Co-Chairman of the Livestock Reform Committee, Professor Attahiru Jega, has called for integrated solutions to address pastoral issues in Nigeria, recommending a combination of ranching and open grazing as a transitional measure.
He emphasised that any immediate solution must account for both approaches while the federal government works towards the long-term goal of intensive livestock production.
Speaking on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, Professor Jega briefed reporters after presenting the committee’s 152-page report on livestock reforms.
The report outlines a roadmap for addressing the challenges faced by the country’s livestock sector.
“You cannot wake up tomorrow and all you have is ranching because you already have quite a large portion of the population involved in traditional pastoral activities. What do you do with them? It’s not an ‘either-or’ situation; any solution developed now has to be a combination of both,” said Jega.
He further explained the rationale behind the committee’s long-term goal of transitioning to intensive livestock production:
“Why we are promoting the long-term objective is that we now have to achieve intensive livestock production. But you cannot wake up one day and have that.
“You have to develop policies and frameworks that can accommodate both approaches for a period of time while increasing awareness against the extensive nature of pastoralism.”
Jega also suggested the need for a policy timeline to implement reforms gradually, allowing for “incremental positive changes” in the livestock sector.
He cautioned against rushing to a single solution, warning that past efforts have been hampered by “the politicisation of the issue.”
The committee’s 152-page report, presented to President Bola Tinubu, outlines achievable targets for the next decade that are expected to drive major reforms in the sector.
Among its recommendations is the establishment of a Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
According to Jega, these reforms will help Nigeria begin addressing the longstanding challenges facing its livestock industry.
National Project Coordinator of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, Winnie Lai Solari, highlighted the scale of the opportunity.
Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, she said Nigeria has 563 million poultry, 600 million sheep, 124 million goats, 58 million cattle, and 16 million pigs.
“You can imagine the volume of investment in the feed industry. Nigeria has the largest number of livestock in West Africa and ranks fifth in Africa. Poultry alone has over 1.7 trillion naira in investment,” Lai Solari noted.
She further explained that the reforms aim to shift livestock production from an extensive to an intensive system. “Only 1% of our ruminants are raised intensively; about 85% are managed extensively by pastoralists. The reform is to gradually balance this, similar to the poultry sector where 31% is produced intensively.”
The committee believes these reforms will attract investment and boost economic growth in the livestock value chain. Lai Solari added, “With President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the livestock sector offers enormous potential for investors, contributing to nutrition security in Nigeria.”
President Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the Implementation of Livestock Reforms on 9th July, 2024 in Abuja, as part of efforts to tackle obstacles to agricultural productivity and unlock new opportunities in the livestock-farming value chain.
The initiative is expected to benefit farmers, herders, processors, and distributors.