The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are reportedly preparing to import fodder — including grasses, straws, and hays — from Nigeria for livestock feeding, according to the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha.
The minister made the disclosure in Ilorin, Kwara State’s capital, during a session with stakeholders on opportunities in the livestock industry.
“Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia have spoken with off-takers who want to export grass from Nigeria. They give you a price in Dollar. As I am talking today, there is a lot of market for fodder in this country. People are selling fodder from Abuja to Taraba, Ogun and Lagos states,” he said.
Maiha added: “I sold grass some years back. Ordinary grass but there is benefit from that. Growing grass is another lucrative business and there are huge varieties of grasses. These are huge opportunities that we can begin to explore, but it is a question of awareness.”
He highlighted the country’s heavy reliance on imported dairy products, noting that Nigeria spends around $1.5 billion annually on dairy imports.
“This is because we don’t have sufficient milk. Our cows produce about 23 litres of milk each per day while their counterparts elsewhere do between 25 and 40 litres per day,” Maiha said.
The minister underscored Nigeria’s vast livestock resources, stating: “Nigeria has no reason to be poor because we have the resources. 58 million herds of cattle, 124 million goats, 70 million sheep, 13.3 million pigs, 410,000 donkeys and 1,000 camels and almost half a million poultry businesses have always been outside the formal sector of the industry.”
He added that the country has only recently recognized the importance of mainstreaming livestock production: “It now took somebody after Nigeria’s 64 years of independence to realize the damage we have been doing to ourselves by not mainstreaming livestock production.
The potentials are there. It is only in livestock that you harvest every day. It has the lowest risk of agriculture ecosystem. Nigeria’s population is an asset for livestock development. Therefore, if you want to go into business think food, think livestock as food has no alternative.”
Maiha also emphasized government support for the sector, saying: “Today governments at all levels are there to create an enabling environment. We will build your capacity, link you up with Development Bank and off-takers outside Nigeria. Our job as government is to be able to leapfrog the sector and raise the productivity of animals, manage animal diseases and to provide an environment for sufficient fish and grass all year round.”
