Livestock value chain in Nigeria is expected to withness a boost as the Federal Government kicked off the National Livestock Breed Improvement Programme (NALBIP).
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, while speaking during the flag-off exercise in Kano on Monday said the programme is targeted at the evolution of hybrid filial generations of dairy cows and other livestock with improved productivity potential and in the overall genetic improvement to the national herd.
Nanono also said the National Livestock Breed Improvement Programme (NALBIP) is one of the comprehensive and sustainable mechanisms put in place by the ministry to address the development and transformation of the livestock value chain in the agricultural sector.
He added that the programme will improve the genetic makeup of the indigenous breeds of animals, especially dairy cattle to achieve increased milk and meat yield of the nation’s national herd.
Nanono also expressed optimism that the programme will improve the livelihood of the pastoral communities and other livestock farmers and support the ministry in addressing the challenges in the livestock value chain particularly, the incessant Herder/Crop Farmers conflict.
He explained that the programme will facilitate artificial insemination services through training and the provision of essential tools and inputs to stakeholders.
“We have not achieved much to ensure an adequate supply of animal protein, means of livelihood and increased income. Some of the key challenges like low level of investment, poor animal health services, poor access to market, poor fodder supply and livestock Management practices have continued to prevent the sector from reaching its full potential.”
“Inadequate investments due largely to under-funding from public and private sectors, absence of enabling government policies, suboptimal functioning institutional settings and linkages and regulatory gaps have led to our inability to achieve sustainable transformation in the livestock value chains. This administration is poised to systematically address these challenges.”
According to him, the flag-off exercise was coming on board “at a better time due to threats poised on the nation’s security heightened by frequent conflicts, banditry and cattle rustling with resultant depletion of the national herd, creating fear and loss of sources of livelihood for Nigerians who depend on agriculture for their sustenance.”
In his goodwill message, the Governor of Kano State, represented by the Kano State Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, Murtala Garo, expressed appreciation for the choice of Kano State for the pilot scheme of the programme, stating that the state has the comparative advantage in terms of its livestock population and vast arable land.
While noting that the Breed improvement programme for the sector will upgrade the existing indigenous breeds and increase productivity, the governor assured the Minister that the state government will continue to support the federal government in all its intervention efforts to the state.
Speaking earlier in her welcome address, the Director, Animal husbandry Department in the Ministry, Mrs Winnie Lai-Solarin, stated that the Programme is part of the National Livestock Transformation Plan of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
