Employment opportunities in livestock.

FG To Generate More Employment Opportunities Through Livestock.

Mr Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development, said on Tuesday that the
Federal Government was planning to generate
more employment opportunities through
livestock production.
Echono said this at the National Animal
Production Development Committee (NAPDC)
meeting organised by the Federal Department
of Animal Production and Husbandry Services, Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting being the maiden edition was
attended by stakeholders from the 36 states of the federation.
According to him, the development of livestock would go a long way to assist the nation to
improve the non-oil sector revenue and make the country self-sufficient in animal production.
“The ministry knows the contribution of the livestock sub-sector to the National Agricultural Gross
Domestic Product in 2014.
“It created the Department of Animal Production and Husbandry Services (DAPHS) with the
mandate to up-scale animal production and make animal protein available to the populace,
likewise boost National Income, “ he said.
Echono, who was represented by Mr Ademola Raji, the Director, Production and Husbandry
Services in the ministry, said the meeting was conveyed to suggest measures of increasing
livestock production.
Prof. Clarence Lakpini, Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Animal Production Research
Institute, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said livestock resource in Nigeria
was enormous.
“Livestock is enormous in Nigeria but the low productivity has minimised its contribution to overall
national economic growth and well being of the citizens of the country,’’ he said.
Lakpini said the nation needed to make use of agriculture to rebase her economy, especially at
this time of fall in oil price at the international market.
He, therefore, called for a paradigm shift in the interface between the government officials and
professionals to impact positively on stakeholders.
Prof. Israel Adu, the President, Nigeria Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), urged stakeholders to
utilise the outcome of the meeting to grow the livestock sub-sector of the economy.
Also, Dr Olufemi Olaifa, Deputy President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), said the
nation’s livestock, if properly developed, has the potential to improve the living standard of the
people.
Olaifa, a High Chief in the Olubadan Council, therefore, appealed to all tiers of government not to
pay lip service to agriculture. (NAN)