Cattle Farmers Seek Support to Prevent Economic Losses in  Industry

Bennett Oghifo 

Stakeholders in the pastoral farming sector are seeking both local and international support to tackle the economic challenges impacting the industry. Key issues include fluctuating market prices, climate change, and increasing feed costs, all of which are straining their livelihoods. They emphasized the need for strategic partnerships and resources to help promote sustainability and resilience in their operations and ensure the long-term viability of pastoral farming communities.
These were some of the resolutions at the end of African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)’s workshop on technical planning and implementation of African Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) platform held last week in Abuja. The workshop had representatives from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Cameroon.

AU-IBAR, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF), is establishing and operationalizing the APMD Platform aims to enable market-driven, adaptive transformations in pastoralism and plays a critical role in fostering inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa.

The APMD Platform will strategically influence, promote and provide visibility of market focused interventions to enhance pastoral integration into livestock markets, among key stakeholders.
They highlighted the national significance of the livestock sector, noting however, the industry faces numerous challenges, including diseases, droughts, floods, and volatile market prices, negatively affecting the livelihoods and resources of farmers.

Farmers advocated for policies that could include trade agreements, access to technology, and financial assistance to enhance sustainability and productivity.

Underscoring the importance of enhancing cattle transportation logistics, the workshop noted that successful implementation of the APMD platform  will depend on its ability to help farmers reduce travel distance and time, saving on running costs and minimising the stress to drivers and cattle.

According to the workshop, the pastoral farming market in the North has been characterised by long supply chains between the region and markets in the Southern part of the country with transport distances often upwards of thousands of kilometres.

With the growth of the industry, the workshop noted that improving the safety and welfare of animals and drivers during long trips is of top-priority and that   industry players should work with the government to invest in critical infrastructure in the supply chain, including feedlots, cattle yards, abattoirs of different types, new facilities, better use of rail, implementation of biosecurity practices.

The workshop called for more investment to support the resilience of the northern pastoral industry to anticipate and address future challenges, opportunities, and conditions, adding that infrastructure investments in roads, bridges and storage have the potential to substantially improve viability and resilience of the industry.

Also, the workshop urged AU-IBAR to work with the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and other agencies to implement a robust database to track animal health, breeding cycles, and productivity, allowing farmers to make informed decisions.

A key plea, the workshop made was for researchers and innovators to be powered to find sustainable solutions to the concerns of stakeholders in the sector, especially the rising high cost for conveying cattle from breeding areas to major markets across the country.
The workshop urged authorities in the Sahel region to facilitate border crossing procedures and improve the efficiency and health safety of slaughterhouses and butcheries.

Despite its importance in the livestock farming, the workshop noted that farmers face a lot of constraints including availability and accessibility of quality animal feed, long distances between production and consumption areas, lack of insurance in the reservation system, difficulties in locating storage facilities amongst others.

The stakeholders further called for the establishment of a livestock bank to  provide access to credit to producers who cannot obtain direct and guaranteed farm loans, to address the inherent risks and unpredictability associated with agricultural operations and remain in good financial standing.

Earlier, the Director, AU-IBAR Dr. Huyam Salih represented by APMD Platform Project Coordinator, Prof Ahmed Elbeltagy emphasised that the platform aims to bolster the livestock sector and safeguard rural incomes derived from meat and livestock products.
She described the APMD Platform as a beacon of hope for millions of pastoralists, stating, “The launch of the APMD Platform occurs at a pivotal moment, allowing us to address existing challenges. By promoting collaboration and innovation, we can create sustainable growth opportunities. This workshop is a crucial step towards developing strategies that empower pastoral communities and facilitate transformation.”

She noted that the platform to be implemented with the support of relevant agencies and private sector partners aims to promote pastoral farmers’ access to markets, thereby making livestock farming more attractive, a source of jobs and income for Nigerians and other countries within the Sahel region.

While declaring the workshop open, the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi noted that the importance of an improved and efficient production process in pastoral farming cannot be overstated, where cattle farming accounts for a huge size of the agricultural contribution to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

For this reason, he noted that promoting productive, resilient, and healthy agropastoral systems has become a major concern for the Federal government.

He pointed out that the government was determined to pursue initiatives capable of opening opportunities for small-scale farmers to access technology and significantly improve the nation’s cattle stock.
Director, Department of Animal Husbandry Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food  Security, Dr Winnie Lai-Solarin shed light on livestock development and the challenges faced.

She however, reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to  transform the  food system with a focus on more resilient local pastoral farming  production sector, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart practices, making investments in infrastructure and capabilities in rural Nigeria.