Kwara State Selected to Pilot National Ranching Initiative

The Federal Government has designated Kwara State as the pilot site for Nigeria’s new national ranching policy. The initiative aims to modernize the livestock sector, enhance productivity, and reduce recurring conflicts between farmers and herders.

Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, made the announcement on Tuesday during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Ilorin. He challenged the perception that ranching is only for large investors, urging citizens to start small. “Start with two goats, cows, sheep, or pigs; they reproduce,” Maiha stated, highlighting fodder production as a major economic opportunity.

The Minister pointed to international demand for grass and emphasized that the government is creating an enabling environment with support across all levels. He confirmed that discussions are underway with the Kwara State Government to establish feedlots centralized areas where livestock can be fattened to boost productivity.

“Kwara State will be the pilot for this programme. We are going to show that nomadic people can be settled, infrastructure can be built for them to remain in one place, improve productivity, and address farmers-herders conflicts,” Maiha said.

He also addressed broader sector reforms, noting that livestock is Nigeria’s primary source of animal protein. Lamenting that much of the poultry industry operates informally, he expressed confidence that the new ministry would make the sector more competitive. Maiha encouraged technology-driven farming, citing Brazil’s model of integrating small-scale farmers with large processors.

In response, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Afeez Alabi, pledged the state’s full support. He described livestock production as central to the state’s agenda for food security and job creation.

Commissioner for Livestock Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, framed the initiative as a youth empowerment and conflict resolution strategy. “We are going to turn machine guns into milking machines and armoured tanks into tractors,” she stated, emphasizing a shift from conflict to agricultural production.

The pilot program in Kwara is positioned as a national model for resolving long-standing tensions in the livestock sector while unlocking its economic potential.