FG endorses new livestock census strategy
The Federal government has endorsed a new approach for collecting reliable data on livestock across the country. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, made the endorsement at the public presentation of the Executive Summary of the Wet Season Agricultural Performance Report in Nigeria, by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison […]
Absence of accurate data on animals has been affecting plans in the livestock sub-sector
The Federal government has endorsed a new approach for collecting reliable data on livestock across the country.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, made the endorsement at the public presentation of the Executive Summary of the Wet Season Agricultural Performance Report in Nigeria, by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) Zaria, in Abuja.
The minister said adopting the livestock census strategy was necessary to generate accurate data and reliable estimates of livestock production and productivity for the country’s agricultural Sector.
“The issue of data is very crucial because it’s no more a guess work for agriculture but it will give actual data. I think we should be in a position to know what to focus on in each state and how many persons to get involved with in our activities with the help of data.
“That is why we will have to go into it so that we can be able to plan ahead. I’m very pleased with this development. Nigeria is largely an agricultural country with vast opportunities to produce for export but we are no-where to reach our potential,” he said.
The Executive Director of NAERLS, Prof. Mohammed Othman, stressed that the last livestock census was conducted in Nigeria in 1993, adding that the country was still using the 1993 data to make current estimates.