Stakeholders urge FG to make budgetary provision for improved livestock production

Stakeholders under the aegis of the Feed Industry Practitioners Association of Nigeria (FIPAN) have urged the Federal Government to make annual budgetary provision for improved livestock production and development in Nigeria.

The association also called for the establishment of strategic animal feed reserve silos for feed maize to reduce competition with human food maize.

Ayoola Oduntan, president of FIPAN, during a session with the media in Lagos, also sought the establishment of a special intervention fund for stabilisation of raw material price, improved availability of feeds as well as bailing out struggling livestock farmers across the country.

He also emphasised the need for improved research and innovation in local feed production to drive alternative feed sources such as insect protein, cassava peels, and palm kernel cake. The feed industry practitioners also made a case for improving research institutions, universities, as well as private partnerships to drive feed formulation innovation.

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“In the absence of intervention by the Federal Government, local livestock farmers will continue to face prohibitively expensive feed costs, which will find expression in higher food inflation as well as lower domestic production of meat, poultry, and dairy. Left on its own, the industry may be faced with loss of jobs, declining supply of protein, and excess reliance on expensive food imports,” Oduntan said.

The association equally called for the review of tariffs on essential imports in the livestock value chain to further reduce the cost of production. They also urged the Federal Government to invest in research and infrastructure to stimulate long-term industry expansion.

They called for special support for industry players in technology and human capacity building in ruminant feeds production, especially with international exposures and technology transfer.

The association, however, applauded the efforts being made by the government to stabilise the exchange rate and improve security around the country, which is helping farmers to begin to return to their farms.