The Nigerian livestock sector is valued at N33 trillion which has the capacity to drive the economy of the country if proper and intentional investment is made by the private sector with support from the government through favorable policies.
Nigeria as a country has witnessed crises that involve crop farmers and pastoralists over grazing of animals. While the pastoralists or herdsmen are desperate to feed their livestock without minding to graze in farms, the crop farmers protect their farms, which usually lead to crises that have claimed thousands of lives and properties worth billions of Naira.
To address these crises and unlock the potentials in the livestock subsector, there is the need to invest heavily on feed and fodder production. With sustainable feed and fodder, there will be no reason for herders to graze in farmlands.
Recently, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development hosted a landmark validation workshop for the long-awaited National Animal Feed and Fodder Policy in Abuja. This is a welcome development as it will give room for more investment in feed and fodder.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukthar Maiha, during the validation workshop emphasized the importance of the policy in addressing long-standing challenges that have hampered the growth of the livestock sector.
“Animal feeds and fodder are the lifeblood of any sustainable livestock production system,” the Minister declared as he said “this policy is a strategic and inclusive response to the sector’s pressing challenges.”
According to the Minister, Nigeria’s livestock industry has been burdened by poor quality control, weak regulatory structures, and insufficient private sector investment.
The new policy, according to him, aims to bridge these gaps by providing a comprehensive framework that promotes feed production, processing, marketing, and utilisation.
This new policy is also central to the ministry’s ambitious plan to double Nigeria’s national herd to 398.9 million heads and increase livestock’s contribution to GDP from $32 billion to $74 billion by 2035.
Also, Winnie Lai Solarin, Director of Ruminants and Monogastric Development at the ministry, highlighted the role feed and fodder play in both production costs and national security.
According to her, “Feed and fodder account for over 70 per cent of production costs in animal agriculture. They are also a key factor in recurring farmer-herder conflicts”.
Solarin stressed the need for a guiding framework, pointing out that Nigeria has lacked a national feed and fodder policy until now.
She noted the policy’s comprehensive focus from production and processing to utilisation and legal frameworks, including land tenure issues, training, and monitoring.
“One thing is to grow pasture, another is to utilise it efficiently. The document will also establish legal backing, access to land, and how we can track implementation progress”, she explained.
Professor Maikano Ari, President of the Nigeria Feed and Fodder Multi-Stakeholder Platform, stressed the importance of private investment. “We cannot continue to depend on the government to drive everything. This policy must encourage data-driven and privately funded sector interventions”, he said.
Professor Ari also identified the fodder sub-sector as a crucial area for national stability. “The Nigerian security crisis is deeply connected to fodder resource scarcity. Investing in grasslands and revitalizing our grazing reserves is now a national imperative,” he argued.
He emphasised the country’s natural advantage in fodder production. “From the Sahel to the Savannah, Nigeria is endowed with diverse pastures and shrubs that can be developed into a national asset. We have more than enough, what we need is strategic utilisation”.
With this policy, the government has set the tone to investors to leverage on and grow the livestock industry. Although there have been some investments already ongoing in feed and fodder, especially by local investors.
To further create more investment opportunities in feed and fodder, the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds and Fisheries recently registered and released eight new pasture varieties submitted by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI).
The newly registered pasture varieties include six grass types Brachiaria ruziziensis, Chloris gayana (Rhode grass), Sorghum almum (Sudan grass), Andropogon gayanus (Gamba grass), Panicum mumbasa (Mumbasa grass), and Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass)—and two leguminous forages, Mucuna pruriens and Lablab purpureus.
This development brings the total number of officially registered pasture varieties in Nigeria to ten, including previously approved Stylosanthes and Centrosema.
This move is a significant boost to Nigeria’s pasture and fodder value chain and is expected to attract substantial investment in the feed sector, both locally and for export.
The benefits of certification include higher germination rates, resistance to pests and diseases, and increased market value.
For farmers and livestock producers, this means reduced risk, better pasture establishment, and higher returns. Environmentally, the use of certified seeds helps prevent the spread of invasive weeds and reduces the need for chemical inputs, promoting biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
This is another major boost towards addressing the crisis between farmers and herders. With these new added varieties, crop farmers can plant these pasture seeds, sell them to livestock farmers. This will reduce the movement of livestock in the country.
Also recently, the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) identified Nigeria’s Feed and Fodder sector as a $1 billion investment opportunity.
This was revealed during the High-Level Inventory and Investment Forum for Nigeria, held in Abuja on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Themed “Harnessing Feed and Fodder Data for Sustainable Livestock Sector Development, Resilience, and Stability,” the forum was organized by the African Union.
Speaking at the event, AU-IBAR Director Huyam Salih highlighted the importance of adequate feed and fodder supply, stressing that it is key to transforming the livestock sector and achieving greater productivity.
“The project involves developing a feed and fodder dashboard to capture production and availability data, enabling governments to take corrective action to support the sector. The dashboard will help identify gaps and shortages, allowing for early warning systems to be put in place.
“Feed and fodder gap in the continent is so high and represents 48% of the challenges faced by the livestock sector in Africa,” Salih said.
Delivering his keynote address, at the event, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, described the initiative as a “game-changer” in feed sector management, affirming its potential to drive investment, improve productivity, and strengthen the resilience of livestock farmers nationwide.
“These efforts have culminated in a reliable and scientifically validated Feed Inventory and Fodder Balance Report, providing an accurate picture of our feed resources, gaps, and opportunities,” the Minister stated.
“More importantly, this initiative has equipped us with tools to proactively plan for feed security, enhance market opportunities, and improve the livelihoods of millions of livestock farmers,” he added.
Laban MacOpiyo, the animal production, natural resources management and resilience expert, AU-IBAR in his remarks, said Nigeria has a feed and fodder deficit of almost 10 percent.
The deficit according to him is largely due to distribution issues, with the northern part of the country, where most livestock are found, lacking adequate fodder, while the southern states have an abundance of feed and fodder that often goes to waste.
“Our assessment has assessed that this Feed and fodder in Nigeria is a $1 billion investment opportunity,” he said.
MacOpiyo explained that investing in feed and fodder can address farmer-herder conflicts, upgrade livestock production, and contribute to food security. “Feed and fodder need to be looked at as a business. It should not be an afterthought,” he stressed.
In another intentional move, the Commodities Development Initiative (CDI), Nigeria Feed and Fodder Multi-Stakeholders Platform (NFFMSP) secured a partnership with Benue state government for an aggressive production of feed and fodder for export.
The Benue State government has secured funding for the production of 1000 hectares of fodder, with the aim to increasing to 6000 hectares in three years, while targeting a revenue of $70 million to the state.
Roland Oroh, Managing Director of CDI said there are a lot of things going on in the livestock, feed and fodder sector which include moving from subsistence to commercial operation.
“We are in partnership with the Nigeria Feed and Fodder Multi-Stakeholders Platform and Sterling Bank to have the feed, fodder and Livestock investment deal room. There are a lot of things going on in the livestock, feed and fodder sector and one of the critical things is to move from subsistence to commercial operation.
“We are aware of the interest of Saudi Arabia and other countries in the feed, fodder and livestock sector. So, we thought that this deal room will help us to catalyze commercial funding to the sector.
“We are very happy to announce that a couple of deals were made at the Deal Room. One of them is the deal between CDI and the Benue State Government. Benue State is attracting investors into the feed, fodder and livestock sector of the state.
“The state has secured funding for a 1000-hectare fodder project which is for export to United Arab Emirate, they plan to increase that to 6000 hectares within the next 2 to 3 years, and that will give us a total of $70 million of revenue coming into the state from that project”, he said.
He said there was an ongoing arrangement which will lead to a contractible agreement between Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and cattle traders as well with CDI and other partners to commercially produce Juncao grass.
“Benue state also announced a $100 million investor interest from some South African companies”, he added.
The feed and fodder industry is a game changer in the livestock sector and which requires attention from the government through formulation of policies that will enable the private sector to invest.
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