Nigeria-Brazil livestock production pact to create jobs for 37,000 youths

…as Ogun secures $2.5bn deal with Brazilian JBS

The Federal Government has said that about 37,000 youths will be fully recruited into livestock farming as part of President Bola Tinubu’s Presidential Initiative on Youths and Livestock Development.

Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development, stated this when he received a team from the Brazilian JBS S.A Executive Group in Abuja on Monday.

The Minister explained that the investment partnership would focus on youths with a genuine passion for livestock.

He said, “1000 youths from each state will give you 37000 youths and we are going to profile them, train, build their capacity and link them to financial institutions and input sources which will bring about massive forage and fodder production in conjunction with state governments.”

The Minister noted that the recruitment, which is inclusive of women, would focus on pasture cultivation and breeding, adding that some State Governors had agreed to provide land, while the Federal Government would supply the seedlings.

“For breed improvement, three methods will be employed – using live bulls, siemens, and a combination of embryo transfer with multiple egg harvest. Typically, 8 to 9 eggs are fertilized to achieve a 100 per cent success rate immediately.

“However, this method is feasible only in a ranch setting where a capable manager can oversee the process and ensure an ample supply of feed. This controlled environment accelerates the production of the desired bulls by favouring a higher ratio of females, which ultimately enhances reproduction”, he added.

In his presentation, the Minister provided an overview of Nigeria’s livestock population, including cattle at 20.9 million, sheep at 49.1 million, goats at 88.2 million, poultry at 258.5 million, and pigs at 9.2 million.

Maiha further stressed that the investment partnership would incorporate disease control measures, specifically targeting swine fever, anthrax, and other illnesses.

Read also: Ministry to double livestock GDP contribution in 10 years

He confirmed that the pig industry is an integral component of the initiative, noting that discussions with the Benue State Governor had already taken place, giving the State’s significant involvement in piggery.

Ricardo Lacerda, CEO, of Brazilian JBS S.A Executive Group, stated that Brazil planned to develop approximately 200,000 ranching operations for beef, a model that would be replicated in other States.

He noted that while the chicken industry is more developed than the beef sector, the scale of chicken operations, including broiler production, would be determined as “the project evolves.”

Ogun to Benefit as World’s Largest Protein Producer Invests $2.5bn in Nigeria

Meanwhile, Ogun State, dubbed as the country’s top investment destination, is set to reap huge benefits as the largest protein producer in the world, JBS of Brazil, indicated interest in investing $2.5 billion in the livestock subsector of Nigeria’s economy.

Wesley Batista, the Controlling Shareholder of the company, gave this indication when officials of his firm, led by the Controlling Shareholder of EMN, John Coumantaros, visited the Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun in Abeokuta on Sunday.

Batista, who described Nigeria as the hub of Africa with the largest population, noted the enormous potentials that exist in the country in terms of human and natural resources, saying they were ready to bring their knowledge and expertise in the area of livestock to bear in the nation’s economy.