AFAN Targets 5,000 Youths in N10bn Livestock Partnership

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has targeted 5,000 women and youths for employment with its N10 billion livestock genetics partnership with the Republic of Denmark.

President of AFAN, Mr. Farouk Rabiu Mudi, who disclosed this on yesterday in Abuja during the first national symposium on livestock breed improvement and pasture development, said that the initiative has become imperative considering that only about 10-15 percent of youths are into livestock breeding in Nigeria. 

Mudi said that the choice of Denmark was as a result of the country’s technology in the production of meat and milk, adding that “their milk production is very high. In Nigeria, a cow produces an average of two and half litres of milk per day. But their milk production is 35 litres per cow. So you can see that it is many times more than our milk production.

“There are a lot of advantages we will tap from them. Roaming about of cattle which brings clashes between farmers and herders will reduce because they are not engaged in open grazing as it is being practiced here. 400 cows in Denmark is equivalent to 5,000 cows in Nigeria. So that’s why we invited them.

“Due to the youths, we have incorporated into our system the encouragement of youths to stir the organisation due to their energy. We are going to employ them in order to reduce the rate of unemployment through the system of cattle breeding and also to empower the women through the private sector and many of them have shown interest in funding the business.

“We are targeting N10 billion for this and what we are trying to avoid is over dependence on the government. This is not talking about changes in policies. So, sustainability is primary reason we are engaging the private sector in whatever we are doing.”