The Kwara State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Hon. Oloruntoyosi Thomas, has disclosed that the state government is deliberately shifting from treating livestock as a subsistence activity to developing it as a commercial value chain.

"Livestock development is no longer just about rearing animals. It is about building a complete value chain that creates jobs, generates income, improves food security and supports investment," she said.

Thomas, who noted that for decades, livestock production in much of North-Central Nigeria has been dominated by traditional systems in which cattle, goats and other animals are raised with limited access to improved breeds, veterinary services, modern feeding systems, processing facilities and reliable markets, added that Kwara State is now attempting to change that model.

She stressed that from the artificial insemination of cattle and rehabilitation of milk collection centres to ruminant clusters, solar-powered cold chains, veterinary infrastructure and a proposed network of commercial livestock enterprises, the state is building a livestock development system designed to move production beyond animal rearing to milk, meat, processing, jobs and investment.

At the centre of the strategy, Thomas further noted, is an ambitious target of producing at least 100,000 metric tonnes of milk, while creating opportunities for young people and women and attracting private investment into a sector that the government believes can become one of the major drivers of the state's economy.

According to our correspondent, the approach has also placed Kwara at the intersection of two major challenges facing the region: how to increase livestock productivity as demand for animal protein rises, and how to reduce competition over land and water that has contributed to farmer-herder tensions across parts of Nigeria.

Arewa PUNCH reports that the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development in March 2025 was part of the strategy that changed the state from cattle rearing to commercial production.

It will be recalled that the ministry was carved out of the former Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to give specialised attention to livestock production, animal health, food safety, farmer-herder relations and the commercial opportunities surrounding the sector.

Since its creation, the government says the ministry has concentrated on improving productivity while creating infrastructure around production.

Under the World Bank-supported Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, Kwara emerged as the top-ranked state in the final performance assessment among the 20 participating states, according to Thomas.

She further disclosed that 5,821 livestock farmers, including 4,112 men and 1,709 women, had benefited directly from the L-PRES programme.

"The state has also vaccinated more than 87,000 animals against anthrax, while previous mass vaccination campaigns covered more than 130,000 ruminants.

"Twenty-four livestock-related infrastructure projects have either been rehabilitated or constructed, including livestock markets, cold-chain facilities, laboratories, Farmers' Field Schools and ruminant clusters.

"Ten ruminant farming clusters have been established across the three senatorial districts, while milk collection centres in Kaiama and Lata have been rehabilitated," she added.

Continuing, the Kwara commissioner pointed out: "At the Akerebiata Abattoir, solar-powered cold-chain facilities have also been installed. For a state seeking to expand livestock production, the significance of such infrastructure is straightforward: animals cannot generate a commercial return if farmers cannot access veterinary care, preserve milk and meat, reach markets or process their products."

While speaking on artificial insemination as improving the animal at the centre of the value chain, perhaps the clearest example of the state's attempt to raise productivity is its new artificial insemination programme.

The government recently began a statewide exercise to improve cattle breeds and increase milk production in partnership with Genex URUS, an American international animal breeding company.

The programme began in September with 500 cattle, with the state targeting about 1,000 animals by the end of the year before scaling up.

Thomas said thousands of cattle would eventually be covered.

"One of the ways to improve breeds is through artificial insemination. We are going to inseminate thousands of cattle across the state," she said.

It was equally gathered that the government also plans to establish an insemination centre in Malete before extending the intervention to other communities.

"The programme is not limited to the animals. The ministry is training artificial insemination technicians, while students from the University of Ilorin and other tertiary institutions are being exposed to practical training," Thomas said.

Youths from pastoralist communities are also being involved.

According to Thomas, the approach is intended to build local technical capacity and reduce the cost of accessing the service.

The Director of Livestock in the ministry, Alhaji Ahmed Umar, said the programme was expected to achieve an 85 per cent success rate, while stressing that improved livestock production required the participation of farmers, government, technical experts and other stakeholders.

The Team Lead of Genex URUS, Dr Saka Shittu, said the programme currently focused on cattle but would later be extended to other livestock.

He explained that selected improved semen was being used to enhance dairy production.

For farmers, the service is currently free, with each farmer entitled to have two cattle inseminated under the programme.

That intervention addresses one of the fundamental limitations of traditional livestock production: productivity cannot rise substantially if farmers continue to depend entirely on low-yield breeds.

The ultimate test of the breeding intervention, however, will be what happens to milk production. Kwara is targeting at least 100,000 metric tonnes of milk, which the government estimates would have an economic value of about $150m.

To achieve this, the state is combining breed improvement with better feeding, animal health services, milk collection and cold-chain infrastructure.

The government is also exploring partnerships with dairy and yoghurt companies, including Danone, Fan Milk and FrieslandCampina.

The plan, according to Thomas, is to connect milk production with the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, allowing milk produced in the state to be processed into yoghurt, cheese, butter, ice cream and powdered milk.

"That is important because the economic opportunity does not end with the farmer who owns the cow," she said, maintaining that "a functioning dairy value chain can create work for veterinary professionals, artificial insemination technicians, feed producers, transporters, processors, packaging companies, marketers and retailers.

"It also creates an opportunity to retain more of the value generated by livestock within the state."

Detailing how the scheme captures young people and women, the commissioner highlighted that the Kwara State government is also trying to solve another problem: the perception that livestock production is an occupation reserved for older farmers and pastoralists.

"Through the Kwara Livestock Entrepreneurship Scheme, the ministry says it is targeting at least 100 youths and women every month for practical enterprise development, coaching, market linkages and access to financing opportunities," she clarified.

Thomas pointed out that "university students are being mentored to establish livestock businesses before graduation, while KWALES ambassadors are being appointed in institutions and communities to encourage participation.

"The programme is also introducing beneficiaries to emerging areas such as Black Soldier Fly farming, hydroponic fodder production, apiculture and modern animal husbandry," she disclosed.

While emphasising that women are another major target group, she posited: "Of the 5,821 L-PRES beneficiaries, 1,709 are women."

According to the commissioner, the government says its intention is to move beyond one-off empowerment interventions by connecting beneficiaries to finance, training, markets and livestock clusters.

"The approach is significant because livestock-related employment can extend beyond ownership of animals. Feed production, milk collection, processing, veterinary services and logistics can all provide opportunities for people who do not necessarily own large herds."

Addressing the farmer-herder question, Thomas revealed that the livestock strategy also has a security and social dimension.

She noted that the competition over grazing land and water has contributed to tensions between farmers and herders in different parts of Nigeria, however, revealing that Kwara's response is to invest in infrastructure that can reduce some of the pressure that drives such conflicts.

"The state has been selected by the federal government as a pilot state for the national ranching policy," according to Thomas.

She continued: "The government is pursuing ranching and feedlot systems and has identified areas including Lata and Gidan Magajiya in Kaiama for pastoral development.

"About 1,000 hectares have been allocated at Gidan Magajiya for the development of pastoral infrastructure, including pasture and water facilities.

"Solar-powered boreholes and hand pumps are also being constructed around grazing areas and stock routes.

"The ministry is using geospatial mapping to guide planning and identify infrastructure needs. "The underlying idea is to make water and feed more accessible to livestock while reducing unnecessary movement and competition for resources.

"Peace and productivity go hand-in-hand. We want a livestock system where farmers and herders can pursue their livelihoods without unnecessary conflict," Thomas declared.

Although notable stakeholders hold the opinion that the approach does not eliminate the wider complexities surrounding land use and farmer-herder relations, the government sees infrastructure, settled production systems and better resource planning as part of the solution.

Speaking on production to processing, the commissioner said it is another component of the strategy, which is the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone.

Thomas assured the farmers that the zone would provide facilities for processing, storage, veterinary services, power and water, creating an environment in which livestock businesses could operate at a commercial scale.

Our correspondent further reports that more investment opportunities identified by the ministry included dairy and meat processing, feed production, ranching, feedlots, pasture development, cold-chain logistics, poultry, small ruminants and apiculture.

"The government is also seeking partnerships with private farms, processors, financial institutions and development organisations," the commissioner further opened up.

"If successful, this could alter the economic structure of the sector.

Rather than selling animals or raw milk alone, farmers could become part of a larger chain in which products are processed, packaged and sold within and outside the state."

On veterinary care and food safety, she noted that productivity depends on healthy animals.

As such, Thomas said the government has intensified vaccination and disease surveillance while rehabilitating laboratories and cold-chain facilities.

"More than 87,000 animals have been vaccinated against anthrax," according to the commissioner, who added that "plans are also underway for an ultra-modern veterinary hospital to provide referral and diagnostic services, with digital systems expected to allow farmers to request veterinary services remotely."

She equally explained that the state is upgrading slaughter facilities and introducing solar-powered cold-chain systems to improve meat preservation.

"These interventions address a problem that is sometimes overlooked in livestock development:

increasing production without improving animal health, slaughter standards and food safety can create new risks rather than solve existing ones."

Asked if the Kwara model can be sustained, the state's Commissioner for Livestock Development affirmed in the positive, stressing that the idea is to make Kwara a livestock hub for the North-Central region, noting, however, that "the durability of the strategy will depend on whether government interventions can develop into commercially sustainable systems."

Thomas maintained that "the immediate priorities were to scale up KWALES, complete major L-PRES infrastructure projects, expand vaccination and training, develop pasture and water facilities, and deepen support for dairy production, ruminant clusters, breed improvement and livestock processing.

"The longer-term ambition is to make livestock a major contributor to the state's economy."

The commissioner, while urging young people to regard livestock production as a modern business rather than traditional animal rearing, noted: "For Kwara, the livestock revolution will ultimately be measured not by the number of programmes launched or facilities constructed, but by whether farmers produce more, earn more and find reliable markets for what they produce.

"If the state can connect improved animals to better feed, veterinary care, water, finance, processing and markets, livestock could become more than an agricultural subsector.

"It could become an engine for jobs, food security and rural economic transformation across Kwara and potentially provide a practical model for other states in the North-Central region," Thomas insisted.