By Adenitan Akinola
A Professor of Animal Science and Production Systems, Akinyele Adesehinwa at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife has advocated functional policies and improved attention to pig production in Nigeria as a measure to meet the protein needs of the nation’s growing population, create employment and wealth in the piggery/swine value chain.
This was the centre focus of his academic findings which he presented during the 370th inaugural lecture of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, held at the Oduduwa Hall on the institution’s campus.
The lecture titled, “The Fox and the Piglets; A Paradox for Untapped Resource in Nigeria”, is the aggregate of his research findings as a scholar.
Professor Adesehinwa enumerated such policies in his recommendation to include encouraging and supporting smallholder farmers for improved productivity, carefully planned and executed disease control and adequate feeding programmes resulting in a reduction of mortality as well as improvement in the quality of feed given to pigs.
“Sustenance of research efforts in the development of cost-effective feeding systems focusing on the use of alternative feed resources, giving adequate attention to the expansion and competitiveness of the production system for the major feed resources such as maize and soybean to curtail the incessant increase in price”.
He also suggested, “concerted multi-stakeholder efforts at developing virile disease surveillance, monitoring programmes and compensation systems against virulent diseases plaguing the swine industry”.
Professor Adesehinwa called on the federal government “to as a matter of urgency and in line with global best practices, revisit the recommendation as contained in the vision 20-20-20 document and pleas from several other quarters to unbundle the legal framework establishing NAPRI to bring about specie or Animal Husbandry Research Institutes”.
Earlier in the lecture, the professor pointed out that pork meat sourced from pigs remained the highest source of animal protein globally, accounting for 36% of the total human needs compared with beef and buffalo at 27%, poultry at 29% as well as goat and sheep at 5%.
He noted with concern that the huge potential of pig had further remained untapped due to religious and traditional stigmatisation, while the various conflicting government policies and interest, and lack of participation of critical stakeholders in policy formulations also added to the shortcomings.
Professor Adesehinwa, however, submitted that with population growth in Nigeria at 2.4% annually, much of which will be urban-based, the demand for quality and healthy animal-sourced foods would increase, with pork meat coming to the rescue.
Subscribe to our Telegram and YouTube Channels also join our Whatsapp Update Group
pub-5160901092443552
Related Posts
