Cross River Moves To Transform Livestock Sector With Data, Disease Control, Investment
By ETETE EKONG
Cross River’s Livestock Strategy Takes Shape
THE Cross River Government is moving to reposition its livestock sector around three increasingly important pillars: reliable data, stronger animal-health systems and private-sector investment.
The strategy brings together a 600-sample livestock sero-surveillance exercise, a comprehensive database of livestock farmers and a renewed drive to attract investors into production, processing, storage, logistics and marketing.
Taken together, the initiatives suggest that the state is seeking to move beyond isolated livestock interventions towards a more structured system in which government can identify farmers, understand the health status of animals, measure the impact of public programmes and create conditions for private capital to expand the value chain.
Mr. Liyel Imoukhuede, Special Adviser to Governor Bassey Otu on Livestock Development, disclosed the developments in an interview in Calabar.
According to him, the government is deliberately building information and veterinary systems that can support more targeted livestock policies while also preparing the sector for wider commercial participation.
Building the Data Before Measuring Impact
One of the most significant components of the strategy is the ongoing enumeration of livestock farmers across the state.
The government is developing a comprehensive database containing information on farmers, their locations, the species they keep, herd or flock sizes, production capacity and the challenges confronting their businesses.
For Imoukhuede, the importance of the exercise goes beyond registration.
He said the government needed a reliable baseline before it could credibly determine whether its livestock interventions were actually producing results.
That approach could change how agricultural programmes are assessed. Rather than simply reporting the number of farmers reached or projects implemented, the government intends to monitor indicators such as the number of registered farmers and animals, production volumes, mortality and disease rates, productivity per animal and farm income.
The database is also expected to capture farmers’ access to veterinary services, finance and agricultural inputs, as well as the number of jobs generated through government interventions.
In practical terms, such information could help the state identify where interventions are succeeding and where gaps remain.
It could also make it easier to direct scarce public resources towards farmers, communities and segments of the livestock value chain with the greatest needs.
600 Samples & the Disease-Control Question
Data collection, however, is not limited to farmers.
Cross River, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, has conducted a sero-surveillance exercise involving 600 livestock samples.
The exercise is designed to generate scientific information on diseases circulating among livestock in the state.
That information matters because disease outbreaks can undermine livestock productivity, destroy farmers’ investments and disrupt the supply of animal products.
The surveillance programme is also linked to the broader national objective of eradicating Peste des Petits Ruminants, or PPR, by 2030.
The state’s livestock programme covers PPR, anthrax and rabies campaigns, alongside targeted surveillance and treatment interventions.
Government is also strengthening the capacity of veterinary officers and animal-health technicians.
That component is particularly important because surveillance has limited value if the veterinary system lacks the capacity to respond to diseases once they are detected.
The broader strategy therefore includes vaccination, treatment services, meat inspection and farmer education on biosecurity.
The Border Dimension
Cross River’s location adds another layer to the animal-health challenge.
The state shares an international border, making the movement of livestock and animal products an important part of its disease-control and food-safety considerations.
To address this, the government is developing the Border Animal Holding and Quarantine Facility at Mfum-Ajassor.
The facility is expected to strengthen surveillance and control of livestock entering or moving through the state.
It is also intended to improve animal traceability and contribute to safer cross-border livestock trade.
The underlying objective is straightforward: animals entering the state, moving within it and animal products reaching consumers should increasingly pass through appropriate veterinary oversight and health and safety controls.
For livestock farmers, that could mean stronger protection against disease transmission. For consumers, it could provide an additional layer of protection around the safety of animal products.
Beyond Government Spending
Yet Cross River’s plans do not end with disease control and farmer registration.
The state is also seeking private capital to expand the livestock economy.
Imoukhuede said government could not finance the transformation of the sector alone. Consequently, the administration is identifying opportunities for investors across virtually the entire livestock value chain.
These include cattle and dairy production, poultry, piggery, sheep and goats, feed production, pasture development, meat processing, modern abattoirs, cold-chain infrastructure, livestock markets and animal-health services.
The opportunities also extend to aquaculture, honey production and logistics.
This approach reflects an important reality in agricultural development: increasing production without developing processing, storage, transportation and markets can leave farmers with limited economic gains.
A stronger value chain, by contrast, can create opportunities at several points between the farm and the final consumer.
Turning Existing Assets Into Economic Anchors
Cross River already possesses several agricultural assets that the government believes can support the investment drive.
They include the Obudu Ranch, the Songhai facility in Abi, Calachika poultry and slaughter facilities in Calabar.
The Obudu Ranch is particularly prominent in the state’s plans.
According to Imoukhuede, concessionaires have taken over the ranch, which has potential for cattle production, dairy development, pasture improvement, breeding, research, training and agro-tourism.
The government’s stated objective is not merely to preserve such facilities as stand-alone assets. Instead, it wants them integrated into a wider livestock value chain capable of generating commercial activity around them.
That means production must connect with processing. Processing must connect with storage and logistics. And all of these must connect with reliable markets.
Creating a More Bankable Livestock Sector
The government says it is working to develop bankable investment opportunities, strengthen the policy and regulatory environment, provide supporting infrastructure and facilitate access to government and development-finance programmes.
It is also engaging development partners and financial institutions to help reduce investment risks and create financing pathways for farmers and agribusinesses.
This is potentially significant for a sector where farmers and small businesses often face difficulties accessing affordable capital.
However, the success of the strategy will ultimately depend on implementation.
A database must remain current if it is to guide policy. Disease surveillance must lead to timely action. Veterinary personnel must have the equipment and capacity to respond. Infrastructure must remain functional. And investment opportunities must translate from policy documents into actual businesses.
A Livestock Economy Built on Information
Cross River’s emerging livestock strategy therefore represents more than three separate government announcements.
The farmer database is intended to answer the question of who is producing what and where.
The 600-sample surveillance exercise seeks to establish what animal-health threats are circulating.
The investment drive asks how production can be expanded and connected to processing, logistics and markets.
Together, the three strands provide a framework for a more organised livestock economy.
The administration ultimately wants higher production, better processing and storage, improved transportation and stronger marketing.
If those objectives are matched with sustained implementation, the livestock sector could become a larger contributor to employment, food security and the state’s economic base.
For now, however, the most important test remains whether the systems being established can convert information and infrastructure into measurable improvements in the lives and incomes of livestock farmers.
