The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has warned that rising meat imports could weaken Nigeria’s livestock industry.

MACBAN president Baba Othman-Ngelzarma raised the concern in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Othman-Ngelzarma said the association was concerned about recent reports of increased imports of beef and other meat products into Nigeria.

He stressed that MACBAN was not opposed to international trade or legitimate competition in the nation’s livestock and meat markets.

He said the association opposed unfair competition that could put Nigerian livestock producers at a disadvantage and undermine domestic productive capacity.

According to him, Nigeria is already experiencing the consequences of similar policies in the rice sector, where increased imports are weakening local production.

He said domestic rice production had reached nearly 98 per cent self-sufficiency, but competition from imported rice was causing losses to farmers and investors.

Mr Othman-Ngelzarma warned that Nigeria must avoid repeating the same mistake in the livestock sector, where producers already face serious challenges.

He listed rising feed and transportation costs, insecurity, shrinking grazing resources, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to affordable finance and climate change among the challenges.

He said exposing local producers to direct competition from highly developed foreign livestock industries could push many Nigerian livestock producers out of business.

The MACBAN president said the livestock economy supported pastoralists, farmers, feed producers, traders, transporters, butchers, processors and livestock and veterinary professionals.

He therefore urged the federal government to urgently assess the impact of increased meat imports on domestic production, employment, investment and national food security.

“Before further liberalising the market, Nigeria should pursue strategic trade, not import dependency,” he said.

Mr Othman-Ngelzarma said where imports were necessary to address genuine supply gaps, they should complement domestic production rather than replace it.

He commended the federal government’s investments and reforms in the livestock sector, saying the initiatives aimed to improve productivity and strengthen domestic producers.

He said MACBAN was not asking for a closed market but a level playing field, urging the government to protect production rather than merely consumption.

(NAN)