The Federal Government of Nigeria has been urged to include funding for livestock production in the country’s budget by the Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, or MACBAN.
According to the group, proper distribution will strengthen the country’s livestock industry and prevent significant foreign exchange losses.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday, Baba Ngelzarma, the National President of MACBAN, bemoaned the fact that Nigeria imports milk at a cost of over $1.7 billion per year.
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Mr Ngelzarma said, “The livestock sector has not and never received the needed attention from the government. The only support we have is vaccination of cow.
“The aspects of livestock production, marketing, transportation, and processing, among others, are left in the hands of the pastoralists. The entire value chain of cattle is not harnessed by the government.
“Nigeria has the largest population of livestock compared with neighbouring countries; yet we produce lesser milk due to neglect of the sector,” he said.
He stressed that if the sector was accorded due attention, the nation would be the hub of milk exportation as well as other value chains in livestock.
He added that when given the deserved attention, it would contribute immensely to the agricultural gross domestic product [GDP].
On the state of livestock sector in the country, Mr Ngelzarma frowned at the poor attention given to the sector by the government, saying it was not right that every attention was channelled towards the agronomy sector while issues regarding livestock were left unattended to year in, year out.
He, therefore, urged the government to give due attention to livestock subsector of the economy to boost the nation’s foreign income.
“If the sector is well harnessed, it can unlock a lot of employment opportunities in the country considering its huge investment, foreign exchange, among others,” he said.
Mr Ngelzarma also said it would be difficult to practise ranching in the country.
According to him, such a model is alien to pastoralists in the country since it was borrowed from foreigners.
