The Ministry of Livestock Development said the only way to modernize Nigeria’s livestock sector is through genetic improvement and a shift from the current animal husbandry system.
Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, who stated this while speaking with journalists in Abuja, explained that the current system is no longer sustainable due to conflicts and shrinking land for open grazing.
He said conversations are ongoing with key stakeholders on why they should consider modern farming techniques for improved productivity.
The minister explained that with 417 grazing reserves in the country, totaling about five million hectares of land, the government is building infrastructure to ensure pastoralists move into these reserves.
He said the plan has also been communicated to pastoralists and to the state governors to rehabilitate these grazing reserves so that the pastoralists can go in there and be relocated.
Maiha noted that each grazing reserve will become a livestock village with all the necessary amenities of life: veterinary clinics, primary health care clinics, earth dams for dry seasons, irrigation of pasture, solar lights, meat processing, [and] milk processing.