The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Institute of Animal Science, Prof. Eustance Iyayi has urged the Federal Government to stop the exportation of maize and soya bean to reduce scarcity and price increase.

Prof. Iyayi while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday stated that due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has disorganize the international supply chain, lingering insecurity in the north east, farmers/herders conflict and flooding in some part of the country, the livestock industry and particularly, the poultry sector has been severely hit by maize and soyabeans scarcity.

According to Iyayi, maize and soya beans are being exported and this has exacerbated the situation leading to local scarcity and price escalation of the commodities in poultry production.

Furthermore, he stated that increasing prices of the essential commodities has resulted in the increase in price of finished feed about 75% which has led to the closure of small and medium scale size poultry farms whereby threatening about 10 million jobs as a result of this scarcity.

“To set the poultry industry from total collapse, the institute urges the government to immediately halt the exportation of soya bean and maize and grant import permit for them at official and forex rate.’

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“Because there is shortage of soya bean in Nigeria and other countries, the little one we are producing here should not be exported.”

He added that the current maize yield of about 1-2 tonnes per hectare which we currently produce is not going to be enough to sustain us.

“So we have a problem, we cannot continue to produce 1-2 tonnes of maize, when we should be producing 7-10 tonnes per hectare in order to sustain the requirement for human consumption as well as animal consumption.”

Meanwhile, Iyayi advocated that at gazetted grazing reserves in Nigeria be transformed for ranching to mitigate the current farmer/herders conflict in Nigeria.

Iyayi maintained that cow remain a national asset and therefore believe that each production must be sustained in a manner that will ensure good economic returns for the producer as well as supplying quality animal protein for the populace.

“Among other solutions offered by the government, the institute strongly advocate the establishment of ranches as a way of resolving the crisis and ensuring that this national asset is sustained and preserved.”

He added that the National Livestock Transformation Plan is a comprehensive plan and if well adopted and well executed assured that the problem that we are facing will be a forgotten issue.

“Therefore, we must move towards a more sustainable ranching method of cattle production.”

Iyayi further revealed that the current cattle population in the country is about 21 million but believe that if measures are put in place, this can increase within a short time either through improved breeding with less land being utilized or embrace ranching which the institute strongly advocate.

“We are also recommending that all gazetted grazing reserve in Nigeria we believe it is time this assets be transformed into ranches either on the public private partnership or completely private basis.

“We have about 140 of such gazetted grazing reserve in the country, out of a total number of 405 grazing reserves in the country”.

The institute also recommend that government should work with the various chambers of commerce and industry in the involvement of the private sector for operationalization of the ranching and commercial pasture project.

He assured that about 2000 community animal husbandry officers of the institute who are graduate animal scientist will be included to join the pool of experts in the institute in sustainable commercial ranching and livestock production.

“The institute is ready to make its expertise available to the federal and state government in the establishment of ranches and development of high yielding pasture as a measure to solve the lingering crisis and also to sustain our national asset that we have”. He added.