NAN-AE-8
Cattle
By Stanley Nwanosike
Enugu, July 6, 2017 (NAN) The Enugu State Government has urged livestock farmers in the state to embrace recent trends in livestock production to improve output.
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Michael Eneh, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Thursday.
Eneh said the current practice of moving livestock from place to place over long distances was counter-productive and it affected the well-being of the animals and the herdsmen.
“When former Governor of Adamawa, Murtala Nyako, was National President of cattle breeders association, he told his people that traversing the country with cattle does no good to anybody because the cattle do not get what is needed.
“The cattle need vitamins, nutrients, carbohydrate.
“When you settle down in a place, if you want your livestock to eat maize, you plant maize; if you want your cattle to eat groundnut leaves, you plant groundnuts.
“And if you cannot grow the crops, you buy from the farmers who grow the crops.
“They need even medication; these are all some of the things that we are talking about.
“Our cows give one litre of milk per day.
“Compare that with those in neigbouring countries where each cow produces say 20 to 25 litres per. How can you then compete with them?.’’
Eneh, a retired Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, lauded the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for introducing nutritious and high-yield grass for pastoralists thinking of settling down in one place.
“I must commend the Federal Government, especially the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, for coming out with a solution that would help increase our meat and milk yield from our livestock, especially cattle,’’ he added.
NAN reports that the livestock sector globally is highly dynamic. In developing countries, it is evolving in response to rapidly increasing demand for livestock products.
In developed countries, demand for livestock products is stagnating, while many production systems are increasing their efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Historical changes in the demand for livestock products have been largely driven by human population growth, income growth and urbanization and the production response in different livestock systems has been associated with science and technology as well as increases in animal numbers.
In the future, production will increasingly be affected by competition for natural resources, particularly land and water, competition between food and feed and by the need to operate in a carbon-constrained economy.
Developments in breeding, nutrition and animal health will continue to contribute to increasing potential production and further efficiency and genetic gains. Livestock production is likely to be increasingly affected by carbon constraints and environmental and animal welfare legislation. (NAN)
KSN/DOR/YEE
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Edited by Nyisom Dore/Emmanuel Yashim