The barrage of comments, criticisms,
questions and name-calling on the social media that have trailed the
announcement of an intention to import grass to improve the business of
production of cattle, sheep and goats in Nigeria is rather incredible. Too many
of such comments smacked of hasty, hollow and inappropriate responses that
betrayed a lack of understanding of the subject, the enormity of the problem,
the benefits embedded in the planned intervention and the urgency of the need
to adopt that measure. I want to put some facts in public domain and in the
right perspective for the public to know.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has repeatedly announced that he was changing
the system of ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) husbandry in Nigeria,
replacing the time-worn method of nomadism and roaming of animals with
intensive and better organised system of keeping animals in paddocks and
feedlot. I am aware it will take some knowledge of what is wrong in the
livestock industry to understand and appreciate what the minister is talking
about. He has said the constantly moving animals don’t grow as they should. He
has spoken of availability of grasses of low nutritive values. It is not enough
for the animals to eat grass. They need to eat grasses of high level of
nutrients. This is the crux of the matter. Animal rearing in Nigeria is far
behind the age we live in, and the system warrants an urgent change. If
livestock production is to be truly treated as a business, then sound science
must be the bedrock, with improvement of the quality of the existing varieties
of grass and of the growing conditions. Those will entail the introduction of
better varieties and a deliberate enrichment of the soil so the grasses would
meet the nutritional needs of the animals for optimum growth and performance.
They make production more profitable, increasing the quantity of meat and milk
available to the growing populace. On the social media, everyone appears to be
an expert on all subjects. Serious issues are trivialised, and trivial issues
inordinately exalted. Even the least informed commentator proffers solutions to
problems on the cyberspace having no bearing with reality. Here, however, is
one sensible response among a flurry of criticisms and comments from Vanguard
newspaper social media site, in response to the write-up that asked that “must
we import grass?” The writer noted that: “As an agronomist and soil science
expert there is nothing bad in importing grass if they can be cross bred with
local breeds to produce better cultivars for local use. What matters is the
cost- benefit to the value chain in livestock production.” Nigeria has an
estimated 15 million cattle, 34 million goats and 22 million sheep that need to
be fed daily. Compare these statistics with Nigeria’s population of about 170
million and think of how many cows, sheep or goat per person. Think of the slow
growth and retarded development of the indigenous breeds fed on poor quality
grass. Considering the short duration of rainy season in most parts of the
savannah regions of middle belt and north of Nigeria where animal rearing is
done mostly the traditional way, Nigeria has been glossing over some threats
and opportunities. One of the threats to the existing system is that of
climate. Uncontrolled grazing by animals is capable of exposing fragile land to
erosion and land degradation. This is in addition to the well-known crisis and
conflicts that have become associated with incursions of roaming animals into
crop farms, leading to human fatalities. If there were enough grasses on the
vast landscape these conflicts would have been non-existent. The opportunities
being ignored in settled animal husbandry are enormous, assuming the statistics
are right. Taking a median price of N40,000 per cow alone, we have an industry
of N600 billion that does not show under Nigeria’s economic radar. This
estimate ignores goats and sheep. The operators are unknown to government of
any state in particular because they are constantly on the move. The government
does not earn appreciable revenue from their activities, except those that pass
through control posts, en-route to terminal markets. To borrow from Peter
Drucker’s dictum, an industry that cannot be measured cannot be controlled. It
is time we controlled the cattle, sheep and goat industry, and one way to start
is to provide them guaranteed supply of feeds. We need to have a reliable
record of how many animals there are, their population growth rate, their
productivity, birth rate, death rate (by slaughter, disease, or any other
cause) and their economic value. We need to know the quantum of meat and milk
they produce, where and when. These animals therefore need to be kept in fixed
and definite locations where they will have access to grass, water, veterinary
services and ready markets. Part of the problems of unregulated livestock
industry is in their markets, animal slaughter and meat sales. Two cross
sectional studies illustrate the losses to the industry through the slaughter
of pregnant animals. A study conducted in Makurdi Abattoir, Benue State, showed
a total of 45, 742 were slaughtered in the abattoir, with a total of 1,508 (3.9
per cent) foetuses recovered from 1997 to 2002. A much more recent study (2015)
elsewhere confirms the continued practice of slaughtering pregnant animals,
leading to foetal losses. A 2015 international journal publication published a
report on foetometrics and economic impact analysis of reproductive wastages in
ruminant species slaughtered in Maiduguri, in a study carried out between March
and April, 2012 in Maiduguri. The rate of pregnancy wastage was 15 per cent
among the cows and 21 per cent among the does (female goats). The economic cost
of the total foetal wastages in the (cows and does) in the Maiduguri study was
estimated at US$ 559,440 annually. If this figure applies to all other state
capitals, including FCT (ignoring all other major towns nationwide), we could
imagine an annual loss of $20.7 million annually, translating to N7.25 billion
annually at a conservative exchange rate of N350 to the dollar. This
indiscriminate slaughter of pregnant livestock has been observed in Nigeria as
widely associated with farmers financial needs and/or incompetence in
determining pregnant animals or that pregnancy diagnoses are not routinely
carried out in the slaughterhouses, particularly since animals are mostly
brought or bought for slaughter from roaming herds. Development of modern
cattle, sheep and goat value chains is therefore long overdue. To get the
downstream aspects of the value chains right, we will have to start with the
upstream. We need to stop animals from roaming. We need therefore to produce
adequate supply of feeding stuff that will last them through the year,
particularly through the period of drought or dry season. We therefore need to
create business models around this thinking that will create investment
opportunities for all involved. Grass can therefore be grown commercially, but
this has to be improved species, varieties and cultivars. Cattle, sheep and
goats (generally referred to as ruminants) naturally eat grass. But grasses
vary in type, nutrient content, palatability, digestibility and appeal. Grass,
by definition, is vegetation consisting of typically short plants with long,
narrow leaves, growing wild or cultivated on lawns and pasture, and as a fodder
crop. Grasses are commonly planted in pastures and almost always play a
fundamental role in the diet of grass-fed cows. However, many non-grass plants
are also found in pastures, including legumes. Depending on the season and
region of the country, 100 per cent grass-fed cows may have eaten a mixed
variety of the plants. For cows, a natural diet consists of plants that can be
“grazed” or “browsed.” Grazing generally refers to the eating of grasses, and
browsing usually refers to the eating of leaves, twigs, or bark from bushes or
trees. Cows both graze and browse, but they are definitely more “grazers” than
“browsers” and their complicated four-part stomach helps them to slowly digest
relatively large amounts of grasses. To unlock our livestock potential, we must
change our thinking and the way things have been traditionally done. We must
embrace new ideas. We must be receptive to positive innovations. We must
encourage disruptive thinking, particularly in ways that bring improvement. We
must tap into the business opportunities in the latent wealth inherent in the
livestock value chains, producing grass commercially for herds in paddocks or
in feedlot. We must get interested and read more about livestock feeding and
take advantage of the opportunities in it. Nigerian cattle produce sub-optimal
beef and milk in qualitative and quantitative terms. These, however, are not
the peaks attainable, but can be improved upon with better, more organised
feeding and general husbandry practices. Research studies show clear nutritional
advantages from beef, milk, and milk-derived foods (such as cheese and yogurt)
obtained from 100 per cent grass-fed cows. These advantages typically include
better fat quality (often involving more omega-3 fats, better ratios of omega-6
to omega-3 fats, increased amounts of conjugated linoleic acid, and higher
quality saturated fat); increased amounts of certain vitamins (for example,
vitamin E, or vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene); and increased amounts of
other nutrients. The economics of nomadic animal production have been poorly
documented. These are both causes and consequences of poor organisation of the
sub-sector. The current status of dairy production in Nigeria shows that 85 per
cent of cattle in Nigeria are managed by 12 million indigenous pastoralists who
are essentially constantly on the move. The volume of milk produced by a cow in
a single year averages just about 200kg in most areas. Compare this with the
European cows producing an average of 6,500 kg per cow. Yet, milk production is
not growing fast enough to satisfy Nigeria’s expanding milk appetite. Even the
milk yield of traditional breeds of cows in Nigeria can be improved with better
feeding. To meet the needs of Nigeria, with a population of over 170 million
and an annual milk demand of roughly 1.5 billion litres, but less than five per
cent of its milk produced locally, requires a new approach. Nigeria spends more
than $200 million on milk imports from abroad every year. This makes no sense.
Yet, the social media critics don’t condemn this. Importation may bridge supply
gap in the short term, but it is not sustainable in the long run. We need to
develop appropriate husbandry and feeding methods that will boost our dairy
production and supply chain, create business opportunities and reduce our
dependence on importation. It is estimated that annual domestic and imported
slaughtering is around 7.5 million cattle. Because the animals are not reared
in an organised manner, the downstream sector remains poorly accounted for. But
when animals are kept and fed in paddocks, their statistics become easier to
monitor and manage and the value chains can be better organised. Improved
livestock production is one of the preferred agricultural enterprises into
which we could expand, especially as we adopt new ideas and innovative
practices. Knowledge of the agronomy of grasses and their feeding value is very
important in the new context of animal production as a business. Most,
practically all the cultivars in widespread use are old, at least half a
century since their introduction and there is a lack of new cultivars. We need
new cultivars of other grasses to widen the genetic base of fodders for
commercial livestock farm use. Open range livestock feeding systems typically
comprise rain-fed annual pastures. The grasses don’t supply adequate nutrients
needed for optimum production. The same goes with the impact of consumption of
wild, natural grasses, which our nomadic cattle are presently exposed to. There
is therefore a need for a paradigm shift towards conscious efforts at
cultivating grasses while embarking on measurable performance indices. These
affect the animals in a number of ways. The Nigerian soil map will be a good
guide for agriculturists in Nigeria henceforth. The minister is emphasising the
use of the information contained in the soil map for taking agronomic
decisions. The fact that soil properties vary from place to place is a reason
to note that grasses that grow on their own might not have much nutrient
quantity for animals’ optimum growth and performance. This is one major error
in the years of emphasis on grazing routes all across Nigeria. In the past,
grasslands used to be enriched with addition of Nitrogen in countries doing
commercial cattle business. But it was found out that this could significantly
alter the soil pH and other properties. Well-developed pasture can be a major
source of feed for goats, sheep and cattle. Energy and protein supplies are the
most essential components in animal nutrition and, in many tropical countries,
these components are often the critical limiting factors to animal production.
Part of the measures to improve the performance of our livestock will require
cultivating the species of grass yielding an average of 30 tons of Dry Matter
per hectare per year. Such grasses, in addition to providing feeds for animals,
can also help in the prevention of soil erosion since they provide rapid ground
cover. Most of the tropical pastures have crude protein contents ranging from
seven to 12 per cent for grasses and more for legumes like Leucaena, which has
25 per cent protein content. But Leucaena has its own demerits in the
anti-nutritional factors of tannin. The discovery of grasses that possess as
much as 28 per cent crude protein marks the beginning of a breakthrough for
grass utilisation for great performance and productivity. These varieties of
grasses can be produced commercially and sold to herdsmen year-in, year-out.
They can be made into hays during the rainy season and sold during the dry
season to keep feed supply constant all-year-round. The business of grass
cultivation requires agronomic practices applicable to cultivation of rice,
sorghum, maize and wheat, all of which are classified as grasses by any other
name. The nutritive values of the grasses to be cultivated can be improved with
fertiliser, the blend and specification of which will vary depending on the
attributes of the soil in particular locations. To this end, the new initiative
of adapting blends of fertiliser to suit the specific attributes of soil in
specific locations will be applicable. The Nigerian soil map will be of
tremendous use in this initiative and investors in grass cultivation will find
the soil map pretty useful as a guide. Importation of grass for developing
Nigeria’s pasture for commercial purpose is not intended to be in perpetuity,
or business as usual, but as a short-term intervention. The quantum of grass
seeds to be imported to commence the pasture improvement programme and
establish Nigeria’s commercial fields is nothing to warrant worries about
impacts on foreign exchange. As the seeds germinate and some localised fields
are established, multiplication of grass becomes easier locally. Better
qualities of grasses will help stop nomadism and the attendant conflicts. Great
opportunities exist in this new outlook of agribusiness as roaming becomes
outlawed and cattle herdsmen keep their animals in confined environments where
they will require supplies of grasses and other forms of animal feeds. Brazil
shares common geo-climatic attributes with Nigeria, with the Brazilian cerrados
similar to Nigeria’s savannah. Grasses that have done well in Brazil are
expected to do equally well in Nigeria. Like Brazil, Nigeria can become a
notable exporter of beef and producer of high volume of milk through the
adoption of the commercial grass production, using improved varieties. These
are grasses that have been subjected to upwards of 18 years of research on
nutritional qualities. Rather than trying to re-invent, the wheel or beginning
a new set of research on grass nutrition, Nigeria can embark on the short-cut,
importing the varieties and cultivars of grasses that have helped Brazil rise
to becoming a major beef exporter, multiplying them locally and using them to
feed the same breeds of cows found in Nigeria.
Break sex rules
Have a sexy start
Break sex rules
Have a sexy start
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