Nigeria’s farmers-herders crisis and banditry may soon be a thing of the past as the country is set to spend N91 billion on the implementation of a ten year National Livestock Transformation Plan from 2018-2027, the programme information document states.
Nigeria’s livestock sector is a key part of the country’s quest for food security and ensuring an end to the prolonged conflicts between farmers-herders which have detered growth in the subsector.
With the new livestock transformation plan which will be piloted in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara states, the country hopes to address the critical issues limiting the growth of the livestock industry.
“The proposed programme is designed, based on six pillars, with estimated direct and indirect costs of N90.43 billion and N261 million, respectively,” the document states.
The six pillars are economic investment, conflict resolution, law and order, humanitarian relief, information, education and strategic communication and crosscutting issues.
The document also states that the budgeted amount will help increase the country’s yield of cattle milk per day through breed improvement of local herds.
“Through the priority breed improvement activity plus the high yielding and nutritious pasture, feed supplements and improved feed utilisation, the programme will enable between 150,000 and 200,000 local dairy cows produce up to five litres of milk per cow, per day for at least 250 days per year.
“By year three, over 180,000 crossbred cows raised by artificially inseminated local foundation stock in year 1 will to produce up to ten litres of milk per cow per day for at least 280 days per year,” the document states.
It further states that in the tenth year, the crossbred cows will be producing 60 litres of milk daily to give a cumulative of 688.9 million litres yearly with a milk revenue of N241 billion.
Key dairy farmers who spoke with BusinessDay applauded the national livestock plan initiative, but cautioned the government on the implementation.
According to them, the policy document covered the gaps that were contained in the ERGP document for the subsector.
They noted that if the policy is effectively and efficiently implemented, the country would eventually have a flourishing dairy sector.
“I have not read the content of the policy but I understand that it was designed to address the gaps in the ERGP for the dairy industry and this is very good,” one of them said
“All we want now is effective and efficient implementation. The government also needs to increase tariffs to grow the industry, he added.
“The sector is currently the most neglected subsector in the agricultural sector. We need to learn from the Kenya dairy sector model to grow our own industry.”
According to the policy document, in 2016, a total of 897 communities where affected by the herders-farmers crisis and this also affected 21,756 households, resulting in the damage of 13,050 buildings and 1,144 schools, as well as 164 primary healthcare centres in five states.
The five states are Adamawa, Benue, kaduna, Taraba and Nassarawa.
The National Economic Council (NEC) approved the plan last week Thursday during the NEC meeting presided over by the Vice Prresident Yemi Osinbanjo at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Josephine Okojie
