Governor Uba Sani has said his administration aims to position Kaduna State as the agricultural and livestock capital of Northern Nigeria through increased investment in farming and livestock development.
The governor made the statement on Thursday during the launch of a livestock intervention programme benefiting 5,000 farmer cooperatives across the state’s 23 local government areas.
At the event, the government distributed key equipment and inputs to farmers, including 500 solar-powered freezers with panels and batteries, 300 feed millers, 3,000 bags of poultry feed, and 200,000 day-old chicks.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe, Sani said the initiative was part of broader efforts to transform agriculture into a driver of innovation, productivity and inclusive economic growth.
“In this phase, 5,000 farmers organised into cooperatives of ten members each will benefit. These assets will boost productivity, reduce losses and improve income opportunities, especially for women and youth in the livestock value chain,” he said.
The governor noted that the state had already recorded progress in livestock development, including the rehabilitation of abattoirs and slaughter slabs, construction of veterinary clinics and boreholes in pastoral communities, and the deployment of mobile veterinary teams.
According to him, vaccination campaigns have protected more than 850,000 cattle, 250,000 sheep and goats, 250,000 poultry and 5,000 dogs from transboundary diseases.
Sani also said the government had distributed residue crushers and fodder choppers to help farmers convert crop waste into livestock feed, while demonstration pasture fields and livestock supplements had been introduced to improve animal nutrition.
He added that the livestock initiatives complement wider agricultural reforms such as the Tallafin Noma programme, which has supported about 69,000 crop farmers, and irrigation initiatives designed to enable year-round farming.
The governor said the state is also developing agro-processing and export capacity through projects such as the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone and the Agricultural Quality Assurance Centre to ensure Kaduna’s livestock and dairy products meet international standards and access markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
