Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has partnered the Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Osun State, and other development partners on the optimization of livestock value chain for sustainable development.
This was made known by the Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim while disclosing benefits of a fully developed livestock sector to journalists, saying, employment generation and poverty reduction would be accompanying benefits in addition to improving foreign exchange.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), livestock contributes 40% of the global value of agricultural output. Therefore, the sector requires appropriate institutions, research, development interventions that reflect the diversity within the sector and the multiple demands placed upon it.
NIAS Advocates for Technology and Innovation in Livestock Industry
In Nigeria, agriculture contributes to a significant part of the country’s GDP with the contribution of livestock production to the GDP in the third quarter of 2021 experienced an increase of 0.12 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
Ibrahim noted that the council has initiated a livestock development program to overhaul the livestock value chain from production to marketing, such as improvements in the cattle breeds for milk, meat and leather production, coupled with industrial utilization of waste products, such as blood, horns and hoofs.
Livestock Modernization, a Great Investment Opportunity for Agripreneurs – Experts
RMRDC boss went on to specified that the council in collaboration with OAU has developed appropriate techniques for processing of blood into blood meal with the production of a vegetable curried blood meal as raw material for the livestock feeds industry.
He explained that fourteen raw materials have been developed from abattoir waste and by-products (blood and rumen content) for the use of feed mill industry, adding that the council is collaborating with Superlinks Integrated Service to promote utilization of the hoofs and horns of slaughtered livestock for the production adhesive, shoe soles and other products, which are mostly imported.
