By Juliana Agbo, Abuja

The Nigerian Institute of Animal Science has advocated the establishment of ranches as a way of resolving the farmers/herders crisis across the country.

It said the country must move away from the transhuman mode to the modern and more sustainable ranching method of cattle production.

Registrar/CEO of the Institute, Professor Eustace  Iyayi, who made this known during a media briefing in Abuja, recommended that a commercial pasture production value chain should be established as part of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and modalities for its operation on private sector basis worked out.

Iyayi, while noting that cattle remains valuable national asset to the country and its production must be sustained, he urged governments to work with the various Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the involvement of the private sector for operationalisation of the ranching and commercial pasture projects.

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He however said the Institute will be establishing model units at its National Livestock Training Center in Kachia, Kaduna State for the breed improvement of our livestock.

“We aim to produce more meat and milk on less land towards the overall objective of lesser herd size and more income on less land.

“The Institute is ready to make its expertise available to the federal and state governments in the establishment of ranches and development of high yielding pasture for cattle production as a measure to solve the lingering conflict”, he said.

Speaking on the scarcity of maize and soybean, he urged the government to immediately halt the exportation of soybean and maize and grant import permit for them at official rate to save the poultry industry from total collapse.

“Maize and soybean are being exported leading to local scarcity and price escalation of the two commodities.

“Increasing prices of the two essential commodities has resulted in the increase in price of finished feed by about 75%. This has led to the closure of small and medium sized poultry farms thereby threatening about 10 million jobs.