The Federal government has said that the commercialisation of the livestock industry needs effective policies and legislation to create wealth for farmers and guarantee increased national income generation.
To achieve this, the government said it is pertinent to work with a wider range of national and international stakeholders to expedite transformation and reposition the livestock sector towards increasing availability and accessibility of animals for Nigerians as well as export.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe said this known at a meeting to validate the national Breeding Policy Document in Abuja.
Represented by the Federal Director of Animal Husbandry, Mrs Winnie Lai-Solarin, the Permanent Secretary noted that the transformation of the livestock sector will not only increase employment opportunities, but also improve the livelihood and wellbeing of Nigerians.
He stated that the meeting aims at coming up with comprehensive and more encompassing workable policy that will be acceptable by the National Council on Agriculture.
Umakhihe further noted that the meeting also raised understanding and awareness of animal breeding and allied services for livestock sustainable development.
In her remarks, the Federal Director of Animal Husbandry, Mrs Winnie Lai-Solarin, who was represented by the Assistant Director and the Head of Animal Breeding and conservation, Mr Ibrahim Onipe, said that low productivity characteristics of indigenous species and different ecotypes of farm animals are the major issues affecting the livestock industry in Nigeria.
She lamented that the exotic breeds continually undergo genetic improvement in response to market-driven breeding and productivity objectives, while the indigenous strains in Nigeria remain static and stunted.
Other challenges hampering the livestock sub-sector according to her include inadequate availability of feed and fodder and the non sustainability of National Livestock Investigation and Breeding Projects in addition to lack of provision of critical infrastructure to genetic improvement of Nigerian animals.
“The animal production Sub-sector plays a significant role in the country’s agro-economy and contributes to the qualitative nutrition of the citizenry and to the overall food security status of our nation.
“It also lends significantly to the socio-economic livelihoods of the populace and those in the livestock value chain domains. In spite of these roles, the animal production sub-sector is beset with many issues and institutional challenges that have prevented it growing alongside other agricultural sub-sectors”, she added.
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