The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development is set to recruit 37,000 youth and women from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part of its plan to boost commercial livestock production in Nigeria as part of President Bola Tinubu’s initiative on youths and livestock development.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, disclosed this during a visit by a team from the Brazilian JBS S.A. Executive Group.
Maiha explained that the investment partnership between Nigeria and Brazil would focus on youths with a genuine passion for livestock.
According to a statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry, Ben Bem Goong, the minister said:
“On the issue of out-grower system, they are looking at young farmers, they are working on presidential initiatives on youths and livestock for every state and they are going to work strictly for those that have passion for livestock.
“One thousand youths from each state will give you 3,7000 youths and we are going to profile them, train, build their capacity and link them to financial institutions and input sources, which will bring about massive forage and fodder production, in conjunction with state governments.”
The statement said the minister equally mentioned that the recruitment, which includes women, would focus on pasture cultivation and breeding. He added that some state governors have agreed to provide land, while the Federal Government would supply the seedlings.
According to the Minister, “For breed improvement, three methods will be employed, including using live bulls, semens and a combination of embryo transfer with multiple egg harvest. Typically, eight to nine eggs are fertilised to achieve a 100 percent success rate immediately.
“However, this method is feasible only in a ranch setting, where a capable manager can oversee the process and ensure an ample supply of feed. This controlled environment accelerates the production of the desired bulls by favouring a higher ratio of females, which ultimately enhances reproduction.”
The minister also provided an overview of Nigeria’s livestock population, including cattle at 20.9 million, sheep at 49.1 million, goats at 88.2 million, poultry at 258.5 million and pigs at 9.2 million.
He further stressed that the investment partnership would incorporate disease control measures, specifically targeting swine fever, anthrax and other illnesses.
He confirmed that the pig industry was an integral component of the initiative, noting that discussions with the Benue State Governor had already taken place, given the state’s significant involvement in piggery.
Chief Executive Officer of the Brazilian JBS S.A Executive Group, Ricardo Lacerda, stated that Brazil was planning to develop approximately 200,000 ranching operations for beef, a model that will be replicated in other states.
He noted that while the chicken industry is more developed than the beef sector, the scale of chicken operations, including broiler production, would be determined as the project evolves.
Lacerda assured that extensive collaboration would be pursued provided there was adequate land, even as he stated that another technical group would be dispatched for further discussions.
