The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has officially flagged off validation of the National Animal Feeds and Fodder Policy at a high-level workshop held Tuesday at the ARMTI Guest House in Gudu, Abuja.
The event brought together stakeholders from across Nigeria’s livestock value chain, marking a unified move to revitalise a vital pillar of the country’s agricultural economy.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukthar Maiha, described the new policy as a timely and strategic response to long-standing challenges that have stalled the sector’s growth.
“Animal feeds and fodder are the lifeblood of any sustainable livestock production system,” he said, emphasising that the policy offers a framework to tackle critical gaps in quality control, regulation, and private sector participation.
Maiha further revealed that the policy is central to the Ministry’s ambitious roadmap to double the national herd population to 398.9 million heads and raise the sector’s GDP contribution from $32 billion to $74 billion by 2035.
“Feed and fodder development is one of the main pillars of this drive,” he added, calling on stakeholders to actively engage in finalising the policy for national rollout.
Director of Ruminants and Monogastric Development, Winnie Lai Solarin, reinforced the urgency of the policy, noting that feed and fodder account for over 70% of production costs in animal agriculture.
“They also play a major role in the persistent farmer-herder conflicts across the country,” she said.
Solarin highlighted the comprehensive nature of the document, which addresses production, processing, marketing, utilisation, legal frameworks, land tenure, training, and monitoring mechanisms.
“It’s not just about growing pasture, it’s about structured utilisation and enforcement. This policy will provide legal backing, access to land, and a tracking system for implementation,” she noted.
She revealed that work on the document began in 2018 and praised the broad stakeholder engagement that has shaped it into a robust and inclusive policy ready for national deployment.
Speaking on behalf of the private sector, Professor Maikano Ari, President of the Nigeria Feed and Fodder Multi-Stakeholder Platform, called for increased private sector investment and data-driven interventions.
“We cannot keep relying on the government. This policy must unlock business-to-business (B2B) opportunities that will commercialise the sector,” he said.
Ari also pointed to the link between fodder scarcity and national insecurity, urging the revitalisation of Nigeria’s grazing reserves and investment in grasslands as a national priority.
“Nigeria is naturally endowed from the Sahel to the Savannah with a range of pasture resources that can become strategic national assets. What’s missing is strategic utilisation,” he added.
He noted that some foreign players are already tapping into Nigeria’s fodder potential and stressed the need for organised distribution systems to connect high-production zones with livestock-demand regions.
“With the right structure, we can build a self-sustaining fodder economy that supports farmers, attracts investors, and contributes to national stability,” Ari concluded.
