By John Oba
Abuja
Federal government has pull its weight behind the campaign discouraging the consumption of Pomo to reduce importation of leather into the country.
The Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology (NILEST) have being campaigning the need for the Nigerian authorities to introduce policies, which would be enforced to reduce Pomo consumption in the country so as to improve the quality of raw hides and skins available.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Asabe Ahmed, stated this recently in Abuja during the inauguration ceremony of the 3rd Council of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science.
Reiterating her support towards campaign against pomo consumption, she noted that the popular Nigerian delicacy has no benefits to consumers, especially growing children.
She said “I will join the institute to advise consumers of pomo to use their money to buy beef, milk or eggs which will give better nutrition and value for money, as pomo now costs more than beef or eggs in some parts of the country”.
“A vibrant leather industry will benefit the country through import substitution for the leather products that Nigeria imports heavily, including those for members of the Armed forces. It remains a fact that leather is the second highest non oil foreign exchange earner for Nigeria”, she added.
The minister while expressing worry that Nigeria was yet to achieve self sufficiency in animal food production tasked the newly inaugurated council to evolve new ideas that would shift the traditional barriers in animal husbandry.
She also tasked them to continue in their path of professional regulatory, advocacy and enlightenment programme
Ahmed mentioned that the various industry standards and minimum operating procedures developed by the institute have resulted in higher consumer confidence giving rise to industry expansion in feed milling, poultry and swine sectors in the last 4years.
The new president of NIAS Prof. FolorunsoAdu in his acceptance speech pledged the commitment of the council not to betray the trust, hope and expectations of the members through their delivery on the mandate for the next three years.
Commending the ministry for the creation of the department of animal production and husbandry services, he said the era of professional nihilism and repressiveness was gone forever in the livestock subsector.
Adu however appealed to the ministry to release special funds to enable the take-off of institute’s school of postgraduate college to train and enhance the skills of its members, saying the project was not captured in the budget.
