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Prof. Akin Adesehinwa, President of the Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), stated that Nigeria is Africa’s top pork producer, with an annual output of over 303,000 metric tonnes, surpassing South Africa’s 302,000 tonnes. Speaking during a visit to the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, in Abuja, he attributed this success to Nigeria’s pig population exceeding eight million, accounting for over 50% of West Africa’s total.
Despite its economic contribution, Adesehinwa lamented that most pigs in Nigeria are raised under intensive and semi-intensive systems, primarily using indigenous breeds with poor growth and reproductive performance. He noted that the sector could contribute over ₦265 billion to Nigeria’s economy by 2029 but faces hurdles such as low product acceptance, high labor costs, limited credit access, frequent disease outbreaks—especially African swine fever—religious and cultural biases, and inconsistent government policies.
Adesehinwa urged the ministry to implement policies in infrastructure, capacity building, and research. Minister Maiha assured that reforms would soon be introduced, including research on vaccines, specialized pig breeds, a national pig farmer database, and modern abattoirs. The government plans to collaborate with the National Biotechnology Research Institute to develop African swine fever vaccines, aiming to produce 1.2 billion doses in the next three years. Additionally, cooperatives will be formed to improve farmers’ access to funding for breeding, feeding, and health management. The minister encouraged PFAN to focus on areas such as processing, marketing, and cold storage to boost productivity.
February 9, 2025/ VON/Nigeria.
https://von.gov.ng
