Today's Leaders Forum Praise 2019: LIVESTOCKS INDUSTRIES :THE PROFESSIONALS, CHALLENGES AND THE GOVERNMENT - KAZEEM A. AKINGBOYE
ONLINE PRESENTATION AND DIALOGUE ON TODAY'S LEADERS FORUM, THEME: PRAISE 2019, VAM News reports.
I'm here to focus on the livestock industry vis a vis our involvement as a professional stakeholder in the industry.
The livestock industry is a subsector of agriculture that includes Poultry which today is the most organised aspect of agriculture.
The industry as a whole offers many advantages to the nation in general and individuals in particular. Dietary animal protein intake, economic benefits, employment generation, raw materials for some industries, sources of foreign exchange for the country, insurance against crop failure and other risks as well as social buffers.
The industry if well harnessed could replace oil as source of national wealth. Do you know that poultry farming alone engages more than 16million Nigerians?
We have an estimated over 180million chickens in Nigeria. An in investment worth over 1.2trillion going by LSETF Facts on Poultry for 2018.
Nigeria with an estimated population of over 200million by recent UN reports has been rated the second world poverty capital because over 90million i.e. over 40% of her citizens are below the poverty line while China with o we 1.4billion population could record just about 16million below 2% as being poor. We should be able to ask ourselves what has brought us to this abysmally low performance.
To step up, we must improve on the first three goals in the Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 1 , No Poverty Goal 2, Zero Hunger and Goal 3, Good Health and Wellbeing. We still have other goals about 14 more or so that are all embedded. But how far have we gone to address the most important three.
Our life expectancy in this country is below 60years, 53/55 on the average for both sexes when we have 70 years or more for some countries.
No doubt the livestock industry has many untapped potentials that could propel us into national economic buoyancy.
What are the challenges bedeviling the livestock industry?
Some of them include:
Lack of adequate planning and improper statistics
Lack of adequate knowledge and access to modern techniques.
Deficiency of livestock research findings to be commercial and feasible
Failure to improve animal genetic and reproductive potentials
Legislative and policy somersault
Non cohesion between the professional stakeholders
Lack of and difficulty to access credit facilities
Fake and adulterated production inputs
Non availability and high cost of inputs
Improper and uncoordinated regulatory mechanism for the industry
Insufficient technical manpower.
I need to elucidate on the stakeholders in the industry. We have the livestock farmers and the professionals in the industry, if you like call them livestock professionals.
We have pure livestock farmers who do not have formal education in livestock farming and we have the professionals trained and educated in livestock farming. These are mainly the vet. doctors, the Animal scientist and the Animal health technologists. The three are closely related with overlapping responsibilities.
All of us are expected to compliment ourselves for the growth and stability of the industry and the failure to collaborate together would not make the industry to progress.
As professionals in the industry, we have an interface with the human medicine through public health and that is in the area of meat inspection and hygiene.
Now, who is an Animal Health Technologist?
Animal Health Technologist is a professional who has acquired the knowledge, skills and techniques of taking care and ensuring the well being of livestock and other companion animals for their optimal productive benefits and eventual utilisation by man.
Our cadre is a blend of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine.
I also want to state that husbandry started as an embodiment of the training of Animal Health Technologist hence the course until 1995 was studied as Animal Health and Husbandry at ND and HND levels before Animal Production arm was commenced.
Therefore our body retains the name Nigerian Association of Animal Health and Husbandry Technologists
(NAAHHT).
Our entry points for employment are both in the civil/public service and private sector.
The area of meat inspection is that aspect that gives credence to the principle of one health one medicine. The reason being that some diseases affecting man are better controlled through proper meat inspection and consumption of wholesome meat certified by designated officers including animal health technologists.
For instance Tuberculosis, Hydatidosis, Cystercosis, Brucellosis and others.
Zoonosis is the transmission of diseases between man and animals and vice versa. Some food animals like cattle, sheep, pigs are condemned completely or partially in order to avoid the spread of identified or suspected zoonotic diseases to human population.
On the border closure, it is a positive development for the livestock industry for economic gains
public health advantages and nutritional/dietary benefits.
Many frozen poultry meat especially turkeys imported illegally are contaminated and injurious to health as confirmed reports gave shown some of them were preserved with formaline which could lead to cancer when consumed. Before the closure, about 70% of poultry meat supplies came in from our neighbouring countries especially Benin republic as contrabands. Many local poultry farm are unable to meet local demands which make them to increase their stocks. Therefore the business transactions are within the country which would help to boost our national economy.
The livestock industry should be encouraged by all of us being latent with opportunities to improve our economy.
On a final note, I commend the organisers for being pivotal to make this online forum active, stimulating and engaging. Let us be optimistic and positivistic to see a better Nigeria for the good of all and sundry.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON THE FACT THAT POLICES focus ON INCREASING AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS RATHER THAN SELF SUFFICIENCY IN THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY ❓
Still the same policy somersault. When priorities are faulty, rather we should be sufficient and sustainable at home first. Do you know that farmers could hardly meet international markets for two reasons: volume and scale of production, quality standardization.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN DAIRY CATTLE REARING AND POSSIBLE SOLUTION IN NIGERIA SIR?
The major bottlenecks to dairy development in Nigeria are poor genetic ability of our indigenous breeds, inadequate technical expertise for dairy development, lack of government support, animal improvement techniques difficult to access cost wise and facility wise and unfavourable climatic conditions inter alia.
REARING AND KEEPING OF ANIMALS IS ANCIENT OCCUPATION, WHERE DOES PROFESSIONALISM COMES INTO PLAY ❓
Professionalism is to enhance our outputs through introduction, application and adoption of modern and scientific techniques and innovations. Do you that we have high animal population here with minimal outputs compared to developed countries with less number but excellent yields.
ARE THERE LIVESTOCK RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN NIGERIA, IF YES, KINDLY GIVE EXAMPLES AND THERE MANDATES SIR❓
We have many agric research institutions in Nigeria but so unfortunate that we have less testimonies to showcase.
Such as NAPRI, NITR, NVRI and other Agric Research Institutes with livestock component in their mandate like IAR&T.
Then what our Universities too with research as part of their mandates.
We have more than enough, but productivity wise do they measure up?
WHAT IS YOUR SINCERE AND PROFESSIONAL OPINION ON RUGA BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ❓
Well! RUGA Rural Grazing Area.
As a professional stakeholder I support it because it would bring about rural development and opportunities for value chain in the subsector. After all we had Grazing reserves created in some states Oyo State inclusive.
But the way the government is planning to embark on it is somehow problematic and sentimentality politicised hence the knocks the programme received from some sections of the country.
CONFLICTS DO EMANATES AMONG HERDERS, FARMERS AND COMMUNITY PEOPLE, CAN WE APPROACH IT FROM PROFESSIONAL POINT OF VIEW ❓
Yes, professionals if allowed devoid of of partisanship could come in to initiate and implement conflict resolution mechanisms. I have been personally involved in something similar through an advocacy in Ibarapa area of Oyo State. Do you remember that we have lived together for decades before the emergence of these incessant violent conflicts?
We have lived together ate together even inter married.
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