Minister tasks stakeholders on solutions to high cost of animal feeds

The Federal Government has tasked development partners and other stakeholders to come up with a roadmap for national alternative feed resources to reduce the cost of production and price volatility.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, while speaking at the second National Animal Feed Summit held in Abuja, yesterday, lamented the rising cost of animal feed in the country and stressed the need for a national roadmap to stem the tide.

The Minister stated that to meet the increasing demand for animal feed in Nigeria, there was a need for innovation and technology to develop sustainable and efficient production methods which would support small-scale and rural communities.

According to him, the summit, with the theme ‘Harnessing Alternative Feed Resources for Sustainable Animal Feed Supply, aligns with the aspirations and agenda of the Federal Government to improve the animal feed policy, feed value chain, feed quality control and safety, the National Strategic Feed Reserve among others.

Abubakar pointed out that “the role of animal feed is critical as it would provide essential nutrients and support for livestock and production’. He noted that the animal feed market is 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 and others. He charged stakeholders to deliberate on a single platform, strategies and come up with a robust implementable national animal feed policy.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, represented by Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Dr. Imeh Umoh, revealed that the animal feed industry was far from meeting national sufficiency in production, as Nigeria is known to produce an average of 5.5 million tonnes per annum.

This comprises 85 per cent poultry feeds, with the potential to grow not less than 50 million metric tonnes per annum if the commercial ruminant and swine feeding sub-sectors are harnessed, he said.

He stressed that the feed sector has the potential to engage over 20 million Nigerians, as the industry is yet to reach 25 per cent of its market size. Umakhihe noted that Nigeria’s animal feed sector remained underdeveloped, due to the high cost of ingredients and other production hitches, which resulted in market dislocation and hampered access to products.