🇳🇬 The cattle breeds of Nigeria

Nigeria is the leading livestock producer in Central and West Africa, with more than 16 million cattle, most of them herded in the northern Sudan-Sahel states. Cattle move seasonally, and across borders, to reach pasture, while rising urban demand for meat pulls animals south towards coastal markets.

• Nigeria holds about a quarter of Central and West Africa's livestock herds
• The cattle herd is put at more than 16 million head, ahead of Niger, Mali and Chad
• Cattle are herded mainly in the Sudan-Sahel states of the north
• Meat eating is about 2 kg per person a year, against 8 kg in ECOWAS
• Sheep number 33.8 million and poultry 175 million birds

Cattle in Nigeria

Cattle keeping in Nigeria is concentrated in the north, in the Sudan-Sahel belt of states, and it is tied to movement: families travel with their herds each rainy season, sometimes crossing into neighbouring Sahel countries for pasture. The national herd is put at more than 16 million head, the largest in Central and West Africa, where Nigeria holds roughly a quarter of all livestock. Livestock sits alongside crop farming, forestry and fishing as one of four agricultural sub-sectors, and in the northwest about 69 per cent of households own or raise animals. Sheep, at 33.8 million, and poultry, at 175 million birds, outnumber cattle many times over. Small, scattered holdings and simple tools are the norm in Nigerian farming generally.

Regions and communities

The cattle zone lies in the northern Sudan-Sahel states. In the northwest, most households keep or raise livestock, while in the south fishing is more common than herding. Herders and crop farmers have clashed, sometimes violently, in Bauchi, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau and Ebonyi states in 2009 and 2010. Movement of herds, and access to feed and watering points, are pressing questions as the population grows. Nigeria is also a market and destination for cattle from neighbouring Sahel countries, whose herds together make up more than half the region's total.

Milk, butter and beef

Beef is the cattle product described. Consumption is low by regional standards, about 2 kg per person each year in Nigeria against 8 kg across ECOWAS, though city demand is climbing with a growing middle class and greater spending power. Frozen meat sold in individual portions has appeared, and some firms slaughter in their own abattoirs using their own supplier networks, a segment still under a tenth of the meat market. Cheaper imported foods compete with what is produced at home.

Today

The cattle herd is estimated at over 16 million head. Livestock raising in the north is under strain from rising insecurity, which the sector treats as a threat to its future. Pasture is being lost to towns and fields, inputs and animal health services are short, and imported agricultural goods, including foods, have become cheaper and easier to buy, putting pressure on local producers. Food import costs and food inflation have both risen sharply.