The Jigawa State Government says it has earmarked over ₦17 billion for livestock development in the state.
The State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Professor Abdulrahman Salim, disclosed this to journalists after defending the ministry’s proposed budget estimate for the 2026 fiscal year before the Jigawa State House Committee on Agriculture in Dutse.
Professor Abdulrahman Salim explained that, the money will be utilised to execute various projects focused on livestock development by the ministry in 2026.
He explained that the ministry proposed to establish ranches across the state that would house herders and other animal rearers.
According to him, at the ranches, herders will get high quality feed for their livestock, good schools for their children, health facilities, veterinary clinics, markers, power and water supply.
Professor Salim said, this is to help the ministry combat the frequent clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state.
The commissioner added that the money will also used to establish veterinary clinics in all the 27 local government areas of the state, seven zonal veterinary clinics and central veterinary clinic to serve as referral centre.
He said they have competent vet doctors, but at the middle and lower cadre, they need to train and retrain them.
He pointed out that, the ministry also proposed to revive three livestock breeding centres in Gumel, Birniwa and Kaduna LGAs, adding works have already commenced in some of the centers.
“It is our hope that by the end of 2026, all homes in Jigawa will have livestock and this will help us overcome the issue of malnutrition, the issue of lack of money withing families structure and will also help us overcome low prices of crops our farming are facing all over the country,” he said.
Professor Salim further explained that the ministry will start by establishing three of the ranches as pilot and sub-ranches attached to dairy products or pastural products.
“We also have sufficient projects in the area of meat processing which is categorised into two. Number one under the House of Assembly constituency projects getting to N355 million which covered slaughter slabs and slaughter houses.
The Commissioner added that, under the abattoirs, they are going to produce zonal abattoirs and at the same time, collaborate with national organisations for state-of-the-art abattoirs that we will use for exporting milk to the Middle East.
Usman Mohammed Zaria
