Ranching Reforms Will Tackle Saudi Poultry Ban, Stabilize Economy – YADI

The Youth Against Disaster Initiative (YADI) has asserted that Nigeria’s National Ranching Policy offers a strategic solution to the recent poultry export ban imposed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA).

Speaking at the PR Nigeria Center in Abuja on Tuesday, YADI representatives addressed the SFDA’s February 26 decision to halt poultry and egg imports from 40 nations, including Nigeria, due to biosecurity concerns.

During the event, YADI Programme Officer Farouk Bala defended the government’s ranching reforms against public misconceptions.

He clarified that the transition to ranching is a necessary modernization effort rather than a “land-grab agenda” or an attempt to “eradicate culture,” noting that such reforms are vital to meeting the international health standards required to overturn trade embargoes.

“It is a development-oriented reform designed to modernize livestock production while preserving dignity, livelihoods, and social cohesion,” he said.

Meanwhile, legislators in the U.S. Congress are exploring options to impose limits on Nigeria’s exports of beef and cattle products, aiming to cut off funding sources connected to militant organizations.

This suggestion emerges from a detailed report called “Ending the Persecution of Christians in Nigeria,” which examined assaults linked to Fulani militias and similar groups.

The document calls on the U.S. government to assess and apply various pressures, such as trade sanctions, to encourage the surrender of weapons and a decrease in hostilities.

In particular, it recommends halting shipments of beef and associated cattle goods to major African destinations like Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, and Senegal, positioning this as a strategy to interrupt economic support for nomadic groups implicated in ongoing unrest.

Statistics on trade reveal that Nigeria plays a small role in the international beef industry.

Figures from the United Nations COMTRADE database indicate that the nation’s exports of meat and edible offal reached approximately $200,660 in 2021.

Similarly, the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution data shows exports of about 44.5 tonnes of frozen boneless beef that year, amounting to roughly $33,000, highlighting the industry’s primary orientation toward local markets.

Information from the Centre for Crisis Communications reveals that from 2018 to 2023, around 3,000 individuals perished in conflicts between farmers and herders in Nigeria’s north-central region, with more than 300,000 residents forced to flee their homes.

Bala further stressed the importance of advancing ranching initiatives, noting, “YADI reiterates the urgent need for the actualization of a comprehensive and well-structured ranching system as a strategic pathway to economic diversification, agricultural modernization, food security, and enhanced national security.”

He added: “We commend the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to implement ranching reform, with Kwara state selected as the pilot state for this critical initiative.”

Bala pointed out the sector’s significance, stating, “Reforming Nigeria’s livestock sector is not optional; it is essential for economic revitalization.

Nigeria’s livestock sector contributes over $32 billion to the nation’s GDP, according to the federal government.