Improving Livestock Production for Sustainable Economic Development In Nigeria
By: Ààrẹ Dr. Adebayo Odunowo (B.Sc., MBA, D.Sc., Dip., Cert., FIDMN, FNCF)
The development of our Livestock Production is fundamental to support the transformation of Nigeria in an economic and socially sustainable way, environmentally and from a public health perspective. I have spent the last 36 years of my professional life in the poultry subsector of the Nigeria Livestock Industry, and I can say unequivocally that the problems I met in the poultry sub-sector in the late 80s are still prevalent today. What I intend to do with this paper is to change the prism through which we all have been using to look at those factors that we thought have been hindering the improvement of poultry production in Nigeria. It’s not just about growing our economy through poultry production but how to achieve sustainable growth in a sustainable manner, thus bridging the protein gap.
We cannot talk about bridging the protein gap via improved poultry production without talking about sustainability. This is why through this paper, I want us to take a critical look at what we can do to improve livestock\poultry production and bridge the protein gap for sustainable economic development in Nigeria but this paper will not be enough to do justice to this issue because sustainability is a very board concept; nevertheless, I will try my best.
Livestock production is a complex, multicomponent, interactive process that is dependent on land, animal, human and water resources as well as capital investment; they are a critical part of our national food, health, economic, and environmental systems. Livestock animal plays an integral role in livestock production and they are kept and reared in many different ways and environments and with differing degrees of intensity, biological efficiency and production efficiency. They also serve as cultural assets, especially in the North.
According to economic experts, the Nigerian Livestock industry is estimated to be valued at about 30 trillion naira and has remained underexploited. It comprised of approximately 20.91 million heads of cattle, 50.28 million heads of sheep, and 88.04 million heads of goats, (FAO 2023), spread across the six Geopolitical Zones of the country; these animals are kept by Northern Nigerians especially in rural and semi-rural settings because the ecology in the northern part of the country makes it famous for large and small ruminants rearing and breeding. In addition to the ruminants, our non-ruminant comprised of 9.51 million pigs and 248.99 million birds, which produced 663,608MT of eggs and 355,010 MT of poultry meat as at 2022. From a market size perspective, Nigeria’s egg production is the largest in Africa, with Egypt coming second at 614,154 MT of eggs; though South Africa isthe largest producer of poultry meat, producing 1.95 MT in 2022. In terms of size, Nigeria has the 2nd largest chicken population after Egypt (300 million birds), Morocco (222.40 million birds) and South Africa (170.31 million birds). In spite of its large size and great potential, the Nigeria livestock industry has not been able to bridge the protein gap or realize its full potential as shown by its contribution to the country’s GDP.
TABLE 1: TREND OF LIVESTOCK POPULATION IN NIGERIA (Millions)
| YEAR | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Chicken | 159.25 | 134.84 | 137.24 | 142.90 | 167.51 | 180.07 |
| Cattle | 19.21 | 19.37 | 19.75 | 20.18 | 19.88 | 20.06 |
| Sheep | 39.34 | 40.32 | 41.28 | 41.63 | 43.42 | 44.50 |
| Goat | 68.97 | 70.70 | 71.96 | 72.53 | 76.14 | 78.04 |
| Pig | 6.53 | 6.80 | 6.99 | 7.37 | 7.64 | 7.95 |
| YEAR | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | % GROWTH |
| Chicken | 192.53 | 206.51 | 223.70 | 240.48 | 248.99 | 56.35% |
| Cattle | 20.24 | 20.41 | 20.59 | 20.76 | 20.91 | 8.84% |
| Sheep | 45.61 | 46.76 | 47.93 | 49.12 | 50.28 | 27.83% |
| Goat | 79.89 | 81.92 | 84.04 | 86.14 | 88.04 | 27.64% |
| Pig | 8.26 | 8.57 | 8.94 | 9.30 | 9.51 | 45.55% |
Prepared by: Otunba Dr. Adebayo Odunowo
Source: FAOSTAT (2023). https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS
TABLE 2: EGG AND MEAT PRODUCTION TREND IN NIGERIA (MT)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | ||
| Shell Hen Egg | 650000.00 | 640000.00 | 660000.00 | 650000.00 | 660000.00 |
| % Growth | -1.54% | 3.13% | -1.52% | 1.54% | |
| Chicken Meat | 193152.98 | 196349.98 | 204416.27 | 240123.49 | 257728.95 |
| % Growth | 1.66% | 4.11% | 17.47% | 7.33% | |
| Cattle Meat | 377794.00 | 381080.37 | 384395.78 | 298261.50 | 300856.38 |
| % Growth | 0.87% | 0.87% | -22.41% | 0.87% | |
| Goat Meat | 238610.00 | 244575.10 | 250698.60 | 256956.73 | 263380.65 |
| % Growth | 2.50% | 2.50% | 2.50% | 2.50% | |
| Sheep Meat | 136076.00 | 139477.90 | 142964.83 | 146539.00 | 150202.48 |
| % Growth | 2.50% | 2.50% | 2.50% | 2.50% | |
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Shell Hen Egg | 640000.00 | 640000.00 | 710826.72 | 640000.00 | 663608.91 |
| % Growth | -3.03% | 0.00% | 11.07% | -9.96% | 3.69% |
| Chicken Meat | 274767.85 | 294651.11 | 319110.47 | 342959.34 | 355010.68 |
| % Growth | 6.61% | 7.24% | 8.30% | 7.47% | 3.51% |
| Cattle Meat | 318368.34 | 331026.12 | 329438.00 | 329372.93 | 328627.22 |
| % Growth | 5.82% | 3.98% | -0.48% | -0.02% | -0.23% |
| Goat Meat | 276021.60 | 275387.50 | 274460.16 | 276572.49 | 277847.39 |
| % Growth | 4.80% | -0.23% | -0.34% | 0.77% | 0.46% |
| Sheep Meat | 154044.10 | 151305.63 | 148509.27 | 148236.23 | 147636.48 |
| % Growth | 2.56% | -1.78% | -1.85% | -0.18% | -0.40% |
Prepared by: Otunba Dr. Adebayo Odunowo Source: FAOSTAT (2023). https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FSTABLE 3: TREND OF TOP 5 EGG PRODUCING COUNTIRES IN AFRICA
| YEAR | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Nigeria | 500400.00 | 526400.00 | 552800.00 | 581000.00 | 612600.00 | 609056.97 | |
| South Africa | 375000.00 | 412000.00 | 438000.00 | 426000.00 | 404000.00 | 413000.00 | |
| Egypt | 235000.00 | 240000.00 | 279000.00 | 355500.00 | 249342.00 | 291220.00 | |
| Morocco | 232000.00 | 242000.00 | 260000.00 | 192400.00 | 200000.00 | 244000.00 | |
| Algeria | 175000.00 | 178490.00 | 195690.00 | 184360.00 | 193560.00 | 260477.00 | |
| YEAR | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Nigeria | 636000.00 | 640000.00 | 650000.00 | 640000.00 | 660000.00 | 650000.00 | |
| South Africa | 452000.00 | 477000.00 | 468000.00 | 453000.00 | 523085.80 | 477934.00 | |
| Egypt | 305509.00 | 472412.00 | 470863.00 | 481339.00 | 355733.56 | 329266.20 | |
| Morocco | 265000.00 | 272000.00 | 270000.00 | 319000.00 | 324500.00 | 269500.00 | |
| Algeria | 279726.00 | 308966.00 | 347275.00 | 351512.00 | 385412.80 | 388161.94 | |
| YEAR | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | % GROWTH |
| Nigeria | 660000.00 | 640000.00 | 640000.00 | 710826.72 | 640000.00 | 663608.91 | 32.62% |
| South Africa | 445099.00 | 475615.00 | 565000.00 | 594000.00 | 549000.00 | 562000.00 | 49.87% |
| Egypt | 406000.00 | 403800.00 | 540160.00 | 602240.00 | 654400.00 | 614154.46 | 161.34% |
| Morocco | 390600.00 | 396000.00 | 414000.00 | 415000.00 | 415000.00 | 390224.00 | 68.20% |
| Algeria | 328520.87 | 314042.80 | 322095.30 | 308456.45 | 305238.60 | 311930.12 | 78.25% |
Prepared by: Otunba Dr. Adebayo Odunowo
Source: FAOSTAT (2023). https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS
Agriculture is one of the major contributors to the GDP of the nation’s economy, contributing an average of 25.96% over the last 5 years. According to the 2023 GDP report by the National Bureau of Statistics, agriculture contributed 26.11% to the GDP; this is a decline of 1.32% over 2022 contribution. Crop production still remains the major driver of the agriculture sector, and it has been accounting for 89% of agriculture GDP in the last 5 years; the implication of this is that livestock contribution to the nation’s GDP is less than 1.16%, and it’s on the decline; and this is reflected in the quantity of animal-based protein that is being consumed by Nigerians.
TABLE 4: AGRICULTURE CONTRIBUTION TO NIGERIA’S GDP (%)
| YEAR | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| AGRICULTURE | 25.16 | 26.21 | 25.88 | 26.46 | 26.11 |
| YEAR | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Crop Production | 88.69 | 89.09 | 88.39 | 89.01 | 89.69 |
| Livestock | 6.61 | 5.70 | 5.47 | 5.47 | 5.12 |
| Forestry | 0.90 | 0.76 | 0.72 | 0.73 | 0.81 |
| Fishing | 3.80 | 4.45 | 5.42 | 4.79 | 4.38 |
| Total | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
Prepared by: Otunba Dr. Adebayo Odunowo
Source: https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary
I have reeled out these statistics about the state of the Livestock sector vis-à-vis other agricultural sectors for two main reasons: firstly, to know the real contribution of the livestock industry and where it stands in the national economy because if we don’t know the current position of the livestock industry in Nigeria today, how can we strategize to bridge the protein gap via livestock production? And secondly, to show that the livestock industry in Nigeria has not made any appreciable growth over the years, so we still have a long way to go.
With Nigeria’s growing population projected to hit 250 million by 2030, the challenges of food insecurity and hunger will be on the front burner more than ever before because of the increased demand for food, this increase will be mainly driven by population growth, urbanization and income improvements. With crop production being the main driver of the agricultural sector, meeting the demand for staples and vegetables might pose little or no challenge but sufficient supply of affordable animal protein will become most critical in the Nigerian food basket crisis. According to the WHO/FAO (2003), a country’s economic development is normally accompanied by improvement in its food supply and the gradual elimination of dietary deficiencies; hence an obligatory demand for animal protein. While this demand offers huge opportunities for the livestock industry, unfortunately the demand for animal protein in Nigeria has been on the decline in the last 16 years. While Nigerians were able to consume 59gr/cap/day of total protein thus meeting FAO/WHO daily RNI for total protein, the animal-based protein consumption which stood at 6.7 gr/cap/day as at 2020, is a far cry from the recommended value of 28 gr/cap/day. This low protein consumption is not as a result of inadequate production of animal protein but the lack of purchasing power of Nigerian consumers; this is one of the major reasons why a lot of poultry farmers ended up burying their eggs and selling off their birds during egg glut. Another reason is the importation of eggs from Europe; according to The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), Nigeria imported $14.8M worth of eggs from Europe while exporting $55k worth of eggs to Niger and Togo. So, rather than increasing stock, poultry farmers are reducing stock.
TABLE 5: AFRICA’S TOP 10 ANIMAL PROTEIN CONSUMPTION VIS-À-VIS PLANT BASED PROTEIN (GR)
| Countries | Plant Based Protein | Animal Based Protein | Total Protein Consumed | % of Animal Protein Consumed |
| Seychelles | 47 | 51 | 98 | 52.04% |
| Mauritius | 47.3 | 40 | 87.3 | 45.82% |
| South Africa | 43.7 | 36 | 79.7 | 45.17% |
| Botswana | 43 | 27.7 | 70.7 | 39.18% |
| Chad | 51 | 26.7 | 77.7 | 34.36% |
| Morocco | 71 | 28.7 | 99.7 | 28.79% |
| Tunisia | 71.7 | 28 | 99.7 | 28.08% |
| Algeria | 65.7 | 24.3 | 90 | 27.00% |
| Burkina Faso | 72.7 | 16.4 | 89.1 | 18.41% |
| Cameroon | 61 | 11 | 72 | 15.28% |
| Nigeria | 52.3 | 6.7 | 59 | 11.36% |
Prepared by: Otunba Dr. Adebayo Odunowo
Source: FAOSTAT (2023). https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FS
As at today, the production of animal protein falls far short of meeting the demands of our rapidly growing population, this is, in spite of the fact that poultry is the most commonly kept livestock among all livestock species; moreover, it is the most dynamic and fastest growing segment in the animal husbandry subsector. Its products (chicken and eggs) represent an important source of high-quality proteins, minerals and vitamins to balance the human diet, but despite its huge potentials for growth, Nigerian poultry farmers face many problems and obstacles, which affects their growth, performance and profitability thereby diminishing their ability to contribute effectively to sustainable economic development. We have seen from statistics that the growth we have witnessed in the output of livestock products has largely been the result of increased livestock populations rather than increased productivity; while the higher outputs are welcome, they do not necessarily equate withsustainable productive growth. To provide a lasting solution to these problems, we must adopt a holistic approach, giving equal attention to all elements of getting livestock products from the farm to the consumers’ table.
We cannot talk about improving livestock production for sustainable economic development without talking about sustainable livestock production practices because it’s when our practices are sustainable that we can achieve sustainable economic development. The unsustainability of our practices has contributed in no small measure to the stunted growth the poultry sub-sector in Nigeria has witnessed over the years.
Owing to the pressure of increase in our population, we have pursued economic progress through rapid growth of our poultry industry to the detriment of our natural resource base and our environment thus causing ecological and environmental problems that are hazardous to our animals; for instance, manure disposal is the number one ecological problem. We have little sense of the problem of sustainability but sustainable poultry development is not simple as it’s shaped by many factors like social issues, market mechanism, environment, resources, population, urban and rural hierarchy, infrastructure, and geographic conditions. The sobering reality today, is that there has been little change in either the efficiency or sustainability of poultry production in Nigeria.
We are now in the sustainability revolution and unfortunately for the old school livestock producers, this has come to stay. Sustainability is a very board concept and it needs a precise definition in order for it to be a useful element of our strategy of improving livestock production in Nigeria; unfortunately, the definition of sustainability is often ambiguous or poorly stated, and it depends on personal experience, intellect and worldview. Moreover, sustainability or exactly what is to be sustained can change with time, and economic development without sustainability is not efficient or effective in the long run.
Sustainable economic development requires that we find new approaches to economic life, in terms of both production and consumption. It asks us to seek new levels of efficiency, to produce more with fewer resources and less waste. The fight against environmental degradation requires new production processes, and this is one of the areas where our researchers have to intervene. They must look beyond the farm level to fully understand poultry production’s impact on the environment. They need to conduct research and analyze the environmental impact arising from intensive animal husbandry practice, and provides technical mitigation options involving farm management, animal waste management, nutrition management, and feed production.
Because we are in a low feed efficiencies and high emission intensities region, the objective of our research should focus on improving the efficiency of feed utilization through improved feeding and management; on researching the shifts between production systems with a view of increasing the sustainability of livestock production and enhancing food security; and on which type of livestock animal should be consumed, how much is consumed, and the production system in which it is raised. According to the World Bank (2021), the livestock industry currently emits an estimated 7.1 GT of CO2 equivalent per annum, representing 14.5% of human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; research should be conducted into how best we can increase the efficiency of livestock supply chains thus limiting the growth of GHG emissions in the future.
Further research is needed to evaluate different livestock animal production systems, different use of resources, tradeoffs, and land-use change and to develop sustainable intensification methods that improve efficiency gains to produce more food without using more land, water, and other inputs.
If sustainable economic development through improvement of livestock production is to be attained, it will be necessary for livestock farmers to adopt and implement Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP), which involves the use of technology. Such technologies must be acceptable, appropriate, affordable, and give tangible benefits to the farmer; in addition, its design must take into full account the multifaceted role of livestock production. In addition, researchers and stakeholders must assist FMARD and other agricultural government agencies in preparing appropriate strategies and the necessary policy frame work.
As we face unprecedented economic challenges, no options can be wasted. It’s my hope that solutions will emanate from this Egg and Chicken Fiesta 4.0 that will be readily available to make poultry production more efficient, sustainable and healthy as well as more equitable nationwide. Now is the time to harness the many opportunities offered by the poultry sub-sector that will not only bring poultry to the forefront of developing solutions to the nation’s economic challenges but will bring poultry production to the forefront of work to achieve sustainable economic development to the benefit of all Nigerians, thus bridging the protein gap.
Thank You.
Ààrẹ Dr. Adebayo Odunowo President,Biacom Agro Nigeria Limited