Agribusiness Insights: Cattle production in South Nigeria

Agribusiness Insights: Cattle production in South Nigeria

The Global relevance of livestock and their products is ever increasing due to the increasing demand occasioned by a surge in population growth and Urbanization. Agribusiness Insights: Cattle production in South Nigeria highlights the cattle production in the particular area. This trend is recorded across the world. This increase in demand for food from animal origin is under-supplied in this region.

While the industries have huge investments in livestock production to keep up with population growth in demand, Nigeria has not achieved much in livestock production. In fact, Africa is the only region in the world that has done poorly in the regard with 2% per annum while per capita livestock output has hardly increased in 30years.

With rising population and income in developing countries, demand will also increase for livestock production by 2023. This increased demand can potentially improve profitability for farmers but will consequently require improved and sustainable approaches in both semi-intensive crop-livestock and extensive livestock systems.

Thus agribusiness can be grouped basically under the following groups;

1. Production
2. Processing and
3. Services

The production focuses on ventures relating to production that involves rearing for one or more products for instance poultry; eggs or meat.

Processing is the main venture that focuses on adding value to already processed products. For instance, fresh milk can be further processed into yogurt, cheese, or skimmed.

Services here refer to activities that make items A and B possible. They include; extension agents who communicate improved practices to the field.

Let’s take the cattle business as a case study: 

Cattle are commonly sold live in some countries including Nigeria and in other places however, live cattle are not found in groceries. Cattle products are presented in the processed form at the cold store or slaughterhouses. They are in a ready-to-cook condition when so presented because the skin and visceral would have been removed.

Structurally deformed cattle are no longer detectable and detestable after processing. Processed cattle find a ready market in groceries or supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, boarding houses, clubs, and relaxation spots.

Society elites, bachelors, and spinsters prefer processed to live cattle for cooking. The business of processed cattle, therefore, is a lucrative one provided that there is a steady supply.

Processing of cattle can manually be done as it is found in many towns, in slaughterhouses, or mechanically.

For manual processing, skilled men and women are located near points where these animals are slaughtered with their tools. Buyers usually engage their services to process and dress live cattle.

Mechanical processing involves the use of machines, skilled labor, electricity supply, and refrigerated facilities. It is usually a large-scale operation where dressed cattle can be preserved.

Offal processing is also done manually. The Inedible part or parts that are not generally or commonly consumed are called Offal. They include skin (but not in Nigeria), hair, bones, hooves, horn, and blood may be separated from the offal during further processing. The offal is usually rendered into edible stuff for feeding pigs and some other livestock thereby giving a boost to the overall alternative feed source available.

Written By: Kingsley Chukwunweike (Bachelor of Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria  & Volunteer of Agribusiness Education and Research International).