President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Minister of Livestock, Idi Mukhtar to entrench the nation’s livestock policy, including ranching, and ensure that every stakeholder key into it.

This was disclosed by the Minister who briefed state House Correspondents after a meeting with the president on Tuesday.

Mukhtar stated that he had been able to deliver the mandate of the ministry by delivering the dairy sector; developing fodder cultivation both for local utilization and export; providing infrastructure in terms of health; building of seven model veterinary clinics and building of cold chain vaccine storage capacities that are going to be off grid.

“And we have also have had our eyes on the poultry sector. That we do believe also we are now going to get into massive importation of hatchable eggs to stabilize the sector, so that the waiting time for local poultry producers will be minimum one month after payment. You can kill your dear old chicks,” he said.

Asked for the President’s response to his briefings, Mikhtar said: “I must confess that the president was very supportive, very understanding. In fact, it was a kind of a dialogue that I have with him, and that shows me that he’s been keenly following the developments in the sector, and he’s been asking probing questions. What about this? What about that? In fact, in one particular area, he said, “Look, the value chain is fantastic, and I’m quoting him, “The value chain in the livestock sector is fantastic, and that everybody should line up to partake in that value chain.”

On what the ministry has been doing to address the challenge of farmers/herders clashes, the Minister said the ministry had identified 1417 grazing reserves across the country

“What we are saying is that once we move in to rehabilitate the reserve, move in pastoralist, then it will catch on. We have identified six states: Benue, Plato, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa, and FCT. And we have reason for identifying this. If you look at the the the incidences of crisis. These states have actually reported more farmera/herders clashes than other states that have not been mentioned. So we are conscious of that. And in terms of engagement, we have actually had stakeholder engagements with about 34 pastoral organizations, and that engagement is still on.

“Two weeks ago, we met the pastoralists under the leadership of the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and that is his eminent the Sultan of Sokoto. And in the next two weeks, again, we are going to repeat that meeting. So these engagement are supposed to explain the position of government in terms of national ranching policy. That look, we do not need to carry large number of animals to where the grass is. One business model is that today go and fetch the grass and bring it to where the animals are. Two, grow the grass where the animals are, and this has been demonstrated over and over that you can grow pasture to feed your animals. Number one, you don’t need 1000 animals to move along with. Do breed improvement, reduce the number of animal, raise the quality, the quantity of milk supply. Today, if you want 100 liters of milk, you have to milk 150 animals of the indigenous breed. But if you breed exotic breed, 10 animals can give you 100 liters of milk. Three animals can give you 100 liters of milk. So it is milk that you want, we have the solution for that. And if you want to feed your animals, there are genetically developed grasses that have been intentionally developed, and they have all the nutritional value you are looking for.”

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