The Yobe Pilot Livestock Development Programme said on Monday that the state had recorded an increase in the volume of livestock trade in the last one year.
Dr Mustapha Gaidam, the Programme Manager, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.
The manager said the volume of traders from all over the country visiting Bayamari, Potiskum, Gaidam, Yusufari, Garin Alkali, Gashua and Nguru livestock markets had increased significantly.
He explained that the state government had provided the necessary facilities, including yearly vaccination, drugs, development of fodder banks, stock routes and water points to improve livestock farming in the state.
“The inter town roads constructed by the state government have facilitated easy movement to these areas with large concentration of goats, sheep and cattle.
“There are livestock farmers in every household in all the 17 local government areas of the state.
“Naturally, our people have the passion for livestock farming and we have been supporting them with drugs, food supplement and adequate water to improve the capacity of the farmers.”
Mustapha said the programme also trained farmers on animal health and fattening.
“These improved the quality and value of livestock with good returns to the farmers.
“We have also recorded improvement in meat and dairy production. Yobe is definitely moving away from subsistence farming to commercial livestock farming.”
The manager said the demarcation of stock routes across the state had eliminated farmer/grazer conflicts “with the six game reserves providing more feeds to the animals”. NAN
