Hides and skin: FG targets 2.8 m goat rearers

Speaking in an interview after a sensitization workshop for 25 farmers from across the North-western states yesterday in Kaduna, Nyam observed that Nigerian hides and skin are the best in the world.“We are targeting 2. 8 million Nigerians to go into the rearing of sheep and goats as a means of increasing the production of […]

Speaking in an interview after a sensitization workshop for 25 farmers from across the North-western states yesterday in Kaduna, Nyam observed that Nigerian hides and skin are the best in the world.
“We are targeting 2. 8 million Nigerians to go into the rearing of sheep and goats as a means of increasing the production of the commodity in the country. The leather industry is very important but many tanneries in the North have closed down because they do not have the skin and hides from sheep, goats and cows.
“If more people go into sheep and goat rearing, the tanneries can pick up and start  full capacity production which would in turn give employment, income to beneficiaries and finished leather which we can export to make the country industrialized.
“Nigeria’s hides and skin is the best in the world and the world is in need of our product. There is already a ready market for the sale of sheep and hides in the Nigerian market because everyday we see loads of lorries and trailers with hides and skin being taken to the Southern part of the country.
“We must add value to what we produce, gone are the years where you see groundnut pyramid in Kano, we want to go into all the activities, from production to processing, packaging, marketing and even the consumption, and that is the aim.
“Sheep and goats are one out of the many commodities that can enhance the agricultural transformation agenda of the minister. Sheep and goats have many advantages because youths, women and even the  disabled people can rear them.
“They do not require large parcels of land for grazing, as even within the house, you can manage with the home produce to feed them. They are cheaper than cows which cost about N160, 000. A sheep costs about N8, 000 and is also very productive,” he stressed.
He noted that the market is there, saying, “the contribution need is for every 2, 000 people, they should all keep one or two sheep and goats, which translates to a lot and in the rural area.”
He said that crop farmers can also  benefit from the sensitization workshop, adding that they are trying to turn farmers who rear sheep and goat as a hobby into profitable businessmen and women.
“We are pulling some stakeholders from the North and South to tackle the problem associated with sheep and goat production. Part of it is the genetic potential, feeding and the disease threat, so if we can assist farmers combat these problems, they will gain more money by producing more sheep and goats, which is directly linked to the leather industry,” he maintained.