As part of efforts to curb cattle roaming the streets of Abuja, Lagos and urban parts of the country, the Federal Government says it is introducing jaw-tagging of cattle that will trigger an alarm once a cow steps outside its designated boundary.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, disclosed this on Arise News, adding that 470 gazetted and legally protected grazing reserves have been identified for the rehabilitation and resettlement of pastoralists,
He pointed out that relocating herdsmen into these reserves will strengthen disease surveillance, breed improvement and animal health management.
Asked whether Nigerians should expect an end to cattle roaming the streets in cities, the minister replied in affirmative, adding that open grazing was no longer sustainable, as long-distance cattle movement contributes significantly to low productivity and the inability to meet domestic dairy demand.
According to him: “We are sensitising pastoralists to adopt a sedentary lifestyle. Once they settle in designated reserves, all the interventions required to improve productivity become easier to implement.
“We are also introducing jaw-tagging of animals so that once a cow steps outside its designated boundary, an alarm is triggered, indicating it has either strayed or been stolen, and it can be returned immediately.”
On daily milk production, Maiha said Nigeria currently recorded average milk yields of between 1.2 and 2 litres per cow per day, compared to countries such as Kenya, where yields can be up to 30 litres daily.
He attributed the gap to poor livestock genetics, inadequate feeding systems and weak disease management practices.
The minister explained that despite Nigeria’s estimated 270 million ruminants, cattle, sheep, goats and camels, the country had failed to modernise its livestock genetics over time.
According to him, while other African countries have deliberately upgraded their breeds, Nigeria has largely retained traditional cattle with low productivity.
His words, “While every other thing in our national space has changed, we have not been able to transform our livestock by introducing new genetics or selecting based on performance traits.
‘’Either of those approaches would have lifted yields from two litres to 15, 20, 30 or even 50 litres per cow per day.”
To address the problem, Maiha said the government was pursuing a strategy centred on improved feeding, disease control and genetics, while implementing the National Dairy Policy Framework to boost local milk production and reduce imports.
