Nigeria plans disease-free livestock zones and six new abattoirs
Government partners aim to lift meat processing capacity and vaccine output, with the national institute targeting six times its current production.
Dr. Olumide Ojo, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Livestock Development, said the federal government is building modern abattoirs, expanding local vaccine production and developing disease-free zones to attract private investment in livestock. He spoke in an interview with AgroNigeria about the reforms.
Ojo said a single modern abattoir could need about 1,000 cattle a day to run, and six such facilities across the country could generate demand for roughly 6,000 cattle daily. The disease-free zones are intended to help livestock meet the health and certification rules needed for export, including to Gulf countries, which he said have been hard to supply because of animal disease concerns.
Nigeria's National Veterinary Research Institute currently meets only 10 to 20 percent of the country's livestock vaccine needs, with imports covering as much as 80 percent. With support from the United Kingdom government and the World Bank, the institute is being expanded to about six times its current output, which Ojo said could also supply West African countries.
Why it mattersPastoralists, traders and transporters are expected to gain demand for their cattle and services once the planned abattoirs are running.