The Federal Government, yesterday, said it was committed to achieving efficient livestock management in the country to drive social and economic development.
The government said this was possible with the introduction of forgery-proof ear tags and cattle passports combined with digital technology to identify and trace livestock across Nigeria.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ sensitisation and implementation of National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) meeting held in Edo State, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Stephen Idehenre, said Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration had keyed into the scheme through the National Animal Identification and Traceable System (NAITS), a scheme under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, to develop a partnership that would check herders-farmers clash and other vices that had led to killings, kidnappings, destruction of farmlands and other nefarious acts.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Peter Osagie, said the scheme “would help end incessant clashes and dignify our livestock system, boost our productivity and acceptance outside the shores of the country.”
Earlier, Group Company Secretary and Legal Adviser of Mega Corps Nigeria Limited and Gamla Group, Elonna Ezulu, said the scheme would reform the sector in line with global practices.
He said with the identification marks on the cow, anyone that strayed into farms could easily be detected and identified through which they came.
The Chief Operating Officer of Ranch ID, which is the NAITS operations management centre, Uchenna Ononye, said NAITS would help to address security issues plaguing the livestock sector, such as cattle rustling,the herders/pastoralist conflict among others.
He added that the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) is a robust animal information management system, that utilises forgery-proof ear tags and cattle passports combined with digital technology to identify and trace livestock across Nigeria.
Ononye said the NAITS is driven by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) through the Department of Animal Husbandry Services in conjunction with the Department of Animal Health. According to him, it is expected that this solution would address the many social, economic and security issues arising from the absence of quality animal information.
Noting that the benefits of NAITS include, comprehensive data on livestock for informed policies/plans, value chain development and investment as well as streamline and increase revenue generation for Local Governments from livestock sector arising from the deployment of technology that promotes transparency.
