Economists have called on the Federal Government to ban the consumption of cattle’s skin, popularly called ponmo, to boost Nigeria’s participation in the $75 billion worth global hide and skin market.
An economist and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Dr. Alaba Oni, explained that the country stood to gain huge volume of foreign exchange in the global hide/skin market if the increasing consumption could be tamed.
According to him, the grazing system currently practised in Nigeria is antiquated and the nation should adopt modern animal husbandry for harnessing potentials the sub-sector for national development.
“There are immense benefits from Nigeria’s cattle economy that are not being tapped or even discussed. Reforming the cattle industry will confer economic advantages and dispense with cattle grazing, which is antiquated. Resort to globally accepted ranching methods as opposed to colonies will offer added value and greater dividend,” he said.
The Managing Director, Bams Farms, Mr. Segun Banjo, decried the high consumption of hides and skin against its exportation for national economic gains.
“Nigeria spends more than $200 million on milk import every year and cumulatively, about $1.3 billion annually on importing dairy products. We also consume cow hide known locally as `ponmo’ and the nation is losing out on the global leather market, from its non-export of cow
hides.
“The dairy industry valued at N345 billion, represents the second largest segment of the food and beverages industry in Nigeria, even as 95 per cent of the dairy producing herds belong to pastoralists,”
he said.
