‘70% of cows consumed in Nigeria are imported’

There are persistent clashes between herders and farmers, how has it been here in Ogun State?We have been living and doing our business in peace here. There is no trouble in cattle business here in Ogun State, either by the herders or farmers. We classify the business of farming into various activities and the different […]

There are persistent clashes between herders and farmers, how has it been here in Ogun State?
We have been living and doing our business in peace here. There is no trouble in cattle business here in Ogun State, either by the herders or farmers. We classify the business of farming into various activities and the different ways of farming. We have what we call the cattle rearing, it is a lifetime business. You rear cattle to multiply in number. You may have 10 herds of cattle’s and be rearing them, before you know  it, within some years, these will multiply; the size and number may be two or three times what you started with.
Do you cross breed your cows with better species?
Yes, you can bring good specie of male cow for about 15 or 20 females. That male will serve them. Each will produce one offspring in nine months just like human beings. And, from there they begin to multiply.
Do you adopt the modern system of cow fattening?
Yes, cow fattening is a process whereby, we buy them lean and fatten them up within the period of three months and they are ready for consumption and prettier when you see them. A lean cow is nurtured to be fatter or bigger. That is the commonest practice in Nigeria. But you will have to take care of them medically with the veterinarian; you de-worm them to expel all the germs in them before they will eat well and grow fat. When you do that, before you know it, they are healthy and start growing.
Is the government assisting you in anyway?
For now, we are not getting any assistance on cattle breeding or free medication from the government veterinary institutions. But we are on course with them; pleading for government’s intervention especially on free veterinary services. We recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cattle business with the state government. We believe the present government in the state is a listening one, and we hope that all that we agreed upon, particularly the issue of grazing without any humiliation will continue. So we actually need government assistance on veterinary services, while we source others by ourselves. We need soft loan from the Ministry of Agriculture to enhance our business.
Do you see the fattening technology as a necessity for Nigeria’s cattle business?
Actually, it is good. You know our system of fattening is as a result of hunger and sickness affecting the cows. It is just that in the northern part of the country, we have less rainfall. Cattle herders move from the north to the south in search of green grass and water for their cows. It is during such journeys that they become tired and weak and get affected by diseases and grow lean. If government can provide grazing reserves with dams, some of our problems will be over.
Do cows necessarily require a dam?
Yes, we build dams for cattle production. These herds of cattle need hygienic water. When a dam is constructed and the water is treated, those virus or diseases in the water are killed and the water is made hygienic enough for animals to consume without any fear of having disease.
Is Nigeria producing all the cows we are consuming?
Nigeria is still importing cows from other countries for local consumption. We are relying on 70% of cattle business being brought from abroad. We rely on countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger even Benin Republic to supply us cattle, can you imagine that? With the right environment in Nigeria, we can provide more than what we require for our local; that is even for export to other countries. We have much more grazing land than them.
How many cattle markets do we have in Ogun State?
We have almost 57 registered cattle markets in the state. All of them are registered to produce and sell. But I have a market and a ranch where I produce on my own. I have two types of production – I have the fattening aspect where we buy weak and sick cows, cure them and fatten them, then we also have the ones we rear.
Which are the major diseases affecting cattle in this environment?
The major disease is the foot rot; we have a lot of bacteria from this. But, our veterinary doctors have assured that they have found a cure for it. You will see where the cattle’s foot is tearing and is getting rotten. That leads to a female cow not being able to born or even to produce good milk. It is a very stubborn disease. We call it ‘chabu’ in Fulani language. It is usually treated for one or two months and it is found all over the state. It is contagious, any cow can contacts it is a threat to the healthy ones. So you see this is why we are seeking the involvement of the government veterinary department to urgently look into the challenges posed by animal health needs.