FG Targets End to Open Grazing, Identifies 470 Grazing Reserves

The Federal Government says it has identified 470 gazetted grazing reserves for the rehabilitation and resettlement of pastoralists as part of efforts to phase out open grazing across the country.

Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, said the initiative is aimed at ending the movement of cattle on streets and highways while improving livestock productivity.

According to the minister, settled pastoral communities will make it easier to implement disease control measures, improve animal health and introduce better breeding programmes. He added that the government is also introducing animal identification tags to help monitor livestock and prevent theft.

Maiha noted that Nigeria's milk production remains low, with cows producing between one and two litres daily, compared to much higher yields recorded in some other African countries.

He attributed the low output to poor genetics, inadequate feeding and weak disease management systems. Despite having about 270 million ruminants, including cattle, sheep, goats and camels, he said Nigeria has not modernised its livestock breeds on a large scale.

The minister explained that the government is implementing the National Dairy Policy Framework to improve feeding, strengthen disease control and promote genetic improvement in order to increase local milk production and reduce dependence on imports.