Gilbert Ekugbe
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is partnering with development partners to improve the nation’s animal feed policy, feed value chain, feed quality control and safety.
The move, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, would help to reduce the cost of production and skyrocketing prices in the animal feed industry.
Abubakar revealed this at the 2nd National Animal Feed Summit held in Abuja.
He stated that the theme of the summit, which was “Harnessing Alternative Feed Resources for Sustainable Animal Feed Supply,” aligned with the aspirations and agenda of the federal government to improve the animal feed policy, feed value chain, feed quality control and safety, National Strategic Feed Reserve amongst others.
The minister pointed out that the role of animal feed in Nigeria’s agriculture sector is critical as it would provide essential nutrients and support for livestock and production.
He noted that the animal feed market was characterised by a mix of small and large scale, traditional and modern methods coupled with challenges such as lack of access to credit and markets, low investment in research and development.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, who was represented by the Director Fisheries and Aquaculture, Dr. Imeh Umoh, revealed that the animal feed industry in Nigeria was far from meeting national sufficiency in production.
Umakhihe argued that Nigeria was known to produce an average of 5.5million tonnes per annum comprising 85 per cent poultry feeds, and has the potential to grow not less than 50million metric tonnes per annum, if the commercial ruminant and swine feeding sub-sectors were harnessed.
In his goodwill message, the Managing Partner, Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition, Mr. Temi Adegoroye, said: “As we gather here today, we must leverage our comparative advantage to proffering solutions to the challenges in the animal feed. As we continue to experience the impact of climate change in Agriculture activities, we need to explore sustainable practices in animal feed production to guarantee farmers access to affordable feed all year round.”
