Nigerian Pig Farmers Call for Government Support to Unlock Industry Growth

News in Brief

-Nigeria's pig farmers association has called on all tiers of the government to provide more support for pig production, arguing it lags behind cattle and poultry despite shared resources.

-President Adesehinwa says Nigeria leads Africa in pig output but misses GDP, jobs, and export gains from its value chain in leather, cosmetics, and biogas.

The Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria (PIFAN) has called on the government at the federal, state and local levels to ramp up support for pig production to unlock the sector’s full economic potential. 

They requested more land allocation, financial support, and resources to boost their production, as they decried the poor attention given to them compared to the cattle and poultry sectors of the country’s livestock production industry.

PIFAN President, Prof. Akin Adesehinwa, led the appeal during a recent interview with journalists in Abuja. He urged governments and the public to stop seeing the sector in terms of pork consumption only, as the sector has significant economic potential capable of transforming the economy and boosting the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) if fully harnessed.

Pig Industry Neglect

Explaining the impact of the neglect, he noted that pig farming relies on the same feed inputs like maize, soybean, and groundnut cake as other livestock, yet receives minimal interventions. 

He further noted that while the government is always talking about cattle ranching and planning interventions for the sector, little is said about pig farming, nor are there interventions for it.

“Livestock is all-encompassing, not only cattle. Governments should give pig farmers a free hand and other forms of support, similar to what is extended to herders, to enhance production and economic growth,” he said.

With over 9.5 million heads and 363,000 tonnes of pigmeat annually, Nigeria has held the position of Africa's top pig producer for years despite limited support.

Prof Adesehinwa described the sector as one of the largest employers of labour and outlined its extensive value chain to include cosmetics, brushes, leather goods, manure, and biogas production, beyond the popular pork production.

He further said that with proper backing, pig farming could drive GDP growth, cut unemployment, empower youth and women, and boost forex earnings through exports already underway by some stakeholders.

“Pig production is a foreign exchange earner. We have many members of the association who are not engaged in paid employment, whether graduates or not, but have built sustainable livelihoods, trained their children to enviable standards and owned houses, among others,” he said.