Agribusiness stakeholders, including the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria, have urged the newly established Ministry of Livestock Development to address food insecurity.
On July 9, 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved the formation of the Livestock Development Ministry when inaugurating the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms at the State House in Abuja.
Kola Aderibigbe, Chairman of the Agro-allied group LCCI, told reporters that President Bola Tinubu's creation of a Ministry of Livestock Development was a great idea; however, farmers needed to see a plan for how the ministry would solve the country's food shortages.
Aderibigbe said, “It is a welcome development. It will add to the dairy farm industry and create more opportunities. But we need to see what is in the pipeline for the ministry.”
He mentioned that farmers were still insecure and that they wanted the ministry to create a way for them to return to their farms and begin producing food.
However, the chairman of the LCCI Agro-allied Group raised concerns about the increased cost of working with the Livestock Development Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture for integrated farmers.
“What about integrated farming? Some people integrate their crop farms with livestock. That means you will have to deal with two agencies, which will cause confusion and certifications will become costly,”
