Livestock: ASAN-NIAS meets on global practice

Cross Section of ASAN-NIAS 6th Annual Meeting

The sixth annual meeting of the Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN)/ Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) commenced yesterday at Abuja with the theme “sustainable livestock production for national development” as association members and other stakeholders brainstorm on a way forward using standard and quality improvement by both private and government sectors’ intervention through capacity building, effective use of new technologies and acceptability of new innovations to attracting market demand.

The president of ASAN, Pastor Taiwo Adeoye said that the annual meeting was geared towards strengthening the values chains of livestock towards improving the level of production of animals across the country, and to also create a new roadmap of operation that would meet market demand added that new members would be inducted.

Mr W.A Ezeagwu, a product director at Nigeria Export Promotion Council emphasized on the need to improve on standard and regulation of livestock production so as to be able to catch up with dollar opportunity in the global market saying the country needs to stem up with meat production through certification for human consumption.

Mr. Ezeagwu noted that the livestock worth more than 100 billion naira if properly harnessed, pointed that with the leather value chain was a major foreign exchange earner after cocoa, thereby urged the stakeholders to focus more on best practice of hygiene, product lab test, packaging and labeling, stability, preservation, traceability, innovation and proper certification to prevent food poison.

As the meeting continues with new members’ induction today, there likely to be another livestock meeting that will be held at the instance of the Vice President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo at the International Conference Centre, Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.