The federal ministry of agriculture and rural development has advocated for the substitution of conventional feed materials with alternative, , in order to improve animal feed production and supply as well as reduce the cost of production.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, while speaking in Abuja during the Capacity Building Program organized by the ministry, noted that the program would provide stakeholders with needed knowledge to optimize the utilization of alternative feed ingredients to produce at minimal cost.
Umakhihe, who was represented by the Director, Animal Husbandry Services, Mrs. Winnie Lai Solarin, stated that the livestock sub-sector supports over one billion people globally, accounts for over 40 percent of global agricultural gross domestic product (GDP), and provides over 33 percent of the world’s protein intake.
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He pointed out that the program was in line with the present administration’s agenda to leverage the agricultural sector for wealth creation, employment generation, and diversification of the economy.
On her own, the Chief Health and Animal Husbandry Technology Officer, Mrs. Florence Ahmed, disclosed that the Ministry is determined to support farmers and feed millers with enhanced production processing methods that would lead to a reduction in the cost of production and an increase in feed production as well as better income.
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According to her, feed constitutes about 70 percent of the cost of livestock production, adding that subsidizing the cost of feed production would not only increase the farmers profit but also sustain their interest.
Also speaking was the Director General, National Animal Production Research Institute, Dr. Yunusa Muhammad Ishiaku, who urged participants to make adequate use of the capacity building skills for sustainable animal feed production.
