The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with National Association of Donkey Farmers (NADFAMS) has said recent development shown that breeding more donkeys against slaughtering and processing it parts for export would lead to the final extinction of donkeys in Nigeria.
This was made known on Thursday, December 21, when it launched it formal registration at the instance of the permanent secretary FMARD represented by the Director Animal Husbandry Services , Mrs Winnie Lai Solarin.
Speaking at the certificate launch and commissioning of the National Secretariat of the NADFAMS, Mrs Winnie Lai expressed profound delight over the launch of the Association registration with the Cooperate Affairs Commission, saying the successful registration of the Association after obstacles was a great milestone in the efforts to galvanize ideas of common interest to achieving the objectives of saving Donkeys from immenet extinction not only in Nigeria , but Africa at large.
“This would not have come at a better time than now. I wish to commend the leadership for the resilience in making sure that the Association is not registered appropriately to give it a string foot to stand with the government in the effort to promote increased production of Donkeys in Nigeria, to avert extinction, provide means of livelihood and generate foreign earnings to the country.
“It is for this reasons that the permanent secretary gave consent in writing to the Registrar General of CAC to register the Association as a cognant partner farmer organization with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. I am glad it has come through as being witnessed with the launching of the certificate today” She added.
Mrs Winnie noted that since the Donkey value chain came on board in the department of Animal Husbandry Services , series of activities have been carried out and are ongoing, these includes the first ever stakeholders engagement on production of increased Donkey production in Nigeria in 2020.
” Formation and registration of Donkeys farmers cooperative societies across the states , procurement and distributions of Jenny’s and feeds to 25 members of Donkeys farmers in Katsina and Sokoto States in 2021″ Winnie said.
Buttressing on the importance of Donkeys rearing and it economic values, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director , ETS Emmalex Global Limited Farms , Mr Chidebe Sunday Nnabuike, narrated the medicinal potency in Donkeys apart from slaughtering it for meat as obtained in the country.
The Managing Director Emmalex Global Farms posited that the aim of establishing Donkey farms is for the overall good of developing a requisite animal husbandry infrastructure across the states of the federation for improved livestock production and productivity, to produce quality livestock and allied commodities in a sustainable manner so that the operations can viably grow to provide adequate incomes to the nation.
Earlier in his opening remarks , the National President NADFAMS, Alhaji Abubakar Baba Kagu was delighted with the gathering of Donkey farmers from across the states , saying the the meeting for the launching and commissioning of the National secretariat was memorable and a historic event.
He added that the bio project was initiated to propagate was of conservation and breeding with the aim of multiplication to avert imminent extinction of the species optimally.
According to him, the activation of the association was done and organized after it 43rd regular meeting of the Donkey Council of Agricultural and Rural Development in 2019 that approved the establishment of Donkey Value Chain in the Department of Animal Husbandry Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
” Primarily, the objectives of the association is to stimulate the rural economy, provide employment opportunities and complement government efforts in acceleration of food production, particularly where mechanized form of agriculture can not be access , but only through animal ( donkey) traction.
“Secondly , the association serve as a complementary partner to the Federal Government of Nigeria in it’s efforts to prohibit illegal slaughtering and processing of Donkey part for exports , by means of mobilizing it members to monitor and control the phenomenon” He pointed out.