Niger imports ‘high breed’ livestock from South Africa

Tagwai Farms owned by the state government and in whose custody the imported goats, sheep, rams and cows were kept, confirmed through its Manager, Dr Ibrahim Garba Musa, that 72 cows of two different species; Aryshire and Bonsmara, 310 Boer, 180 Kalahari goats and 210 Doper Sheep aged 4 to 6 months brought from South […]

Tagwai Farms owned by the state government and in whose custody the imported goats, sheep, rams and cows were kept, confirmed through its Manager, Dr Ibrahim Garba Musa, that 72 cows of two different species; Aryshire and Bonsmara, 310 Boer, 180 Kalahari goats and 210 Doper Sheep aged 4 to 6 months brought from South African firm, UCK Investment were in the farm.
He said the state government has sold some of the livestock to some corporate and individual farmers in the state for multiplication and enhanced livestock farming, hoping that in no distant time, the special breed will be made available everywhere in the state.
He said the livestock arrived Tagwai Farm in March and the farm started disposing them after they were all rested from stress they went through while in transit.
He said his farm did not take much time in selling them out following the high demand by members of the public, adding that 550 have been disposed off while the farm kept 222 of the exotic breeds for line breeding.
Musa said most of the livestock in the farm are pregnant and will in no distant future start multiplying. Veterinary doctors in the farm said the livestock have not been diagnosed for any critical health case.
Dr Musa said: “Apart from the stress they went through on transit, no any critical medical challenge was recorded. Though few had diarrhea cases, they were all checked against trans border diseases.”
He said the animals had to be quarantined in South Africa for a period of two months before they were given a clean bill of health for shipment into the country, adding that on arrival, the cattle had to be vaccinated against Contagious Borine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP) and the Sheep and goats against Pestes de petit Ruminantes (PPR) diseases which are endemic here.
The livestock are subsidised to only the indigenes of the state, therefore sold without the custom duty, freight and quarantine charges.
He said the male cow is sold at N642, 600 while the female goes for N 340, 000. Male Doper sheep cost N85, 000 and the female is N74, 800. Red Kalahari goat goes for N74, 800, each, whilst male Boer cost N71, 400. The female goes for N62, 900.
One of the farms that succeeded in buying the livestock from the government farm, Masoyi Farms and Livestock Development Company in Minna, said it has bought 22 exotic breed of livestock three weeks ago from Tagwai Farms.
The Manager of the Farm, Dr. Zaharradeen Idris told Daily Trust that some of the breeds bought by the farm comprised two Ayrshire cattle breed, seven Doper Sheep breed, seven Boer goats breed and six Kalahari goat breed.
Idris said the South African exotic breed are the type of livestock that easily get adopted to the climate condition of the country as only the cattle among the livestock experienced respiratory difficulties owing to the harsh weather, adding: “You can see them panting but now they have stabilised. It was only experienced in the first one week of their delivery.”
On whether the exotic breeds needs special diet, he said they only feed them with yam peels, beans husk, maize bran and wheat offal.
Idris explained that the livestock are at present under quarantine for one month and after they have been certified free from any disease, breeding will start.
Masoyi Farm also planned to preserve the species for breeding, saying the need for preserving the line of breeding is because the exotic breeds have better body confirmation.
The representative of South African UCK Investment, Veterinary Consultant, Dr. Herman de Bruin, who accompanied the animals to Nigeria, said Boar goats have brown  and white colours while the red ones are Red-Kalahari.
“The boar goats have brown head and neck but Red-Kalahari is brown all over while the Doper sheep is white with black neck. Most of the brown cattle are Bonsmaras, which is the product of cross breeding from the Africana cattle and European breeds while the red and white colored cattle are called Ayrshire.”
Speaking on the possibility for the animals to survive under the Nigerian climate, the consultant said the animals would survive because they came from a country with hot weather.
He added: “The climate condition of the state is the same with far Western part of South Africa where they come from and because the temperature can go as far as 40c, they are used to harsh weather and they can survive without a problem.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Fisheries and Livestock Development, Dr. Isah Yahaya Vatsa, told this reporter that the importation of the livestock by the state government was informed by the desire to improve on the livestock sub sector of the state, highlighting that the South African company also made some provisions for replacement should there be any case of death while on transit.
“In one of our council meetings, approval was granted to procure some cattle, goats and sheep as part of our effort to enhance livestock production in the state, not quite long ago these animals arrived in Minna,” he said.
He also disclosed that the state government has been appointed as the sole agent for the sales of semen of exotic cattle from a South African firm, while calling on Nigerians to purchase the semen for production.
The commissioner assured the people of the state of government’s readiness to ensure that these animals get to all nooks and crannies of the state so that people can breed them and multiply with a view to improving on the local breeds.