In the next five years, the Donkey Dealers Association of Nigeria (DDA), would go into breeding and ranching, while abiding by the regulatory scheme or project of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, under the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS). The President of the Donkey Dealers, Mr. Ifeanyi Dike made the statement recently, revealing that the association would be fully engaged in a very aggressive way of trying to put the narrative of what Donkey Dealers Association has as its mandate like breeding and ranching, creation of employment and making government gain through the regulation of exportation of donkey products.
Dike also hinted that the donkey value chain has the potential to create an initial 500,000 jobs, if it gets the necessary support from both government and private sectors. He emphasised that the step, which they are taking would create employment and stop the activities of the smugglers, who are sabotaging the economy. According to Dike, there are approximately 11 economic value chains in the donkey industry that run from the point-of-purchase to the end supplier or exporter, and each of these value chains has the potential to generate about two million jobs when used effectively. Furthermore, he stated that donkey dealers were going into full breeding of the animal, which would allay the fears of many on the animal going into extinction.
He added that donkey merchants were starting a complete breeding programme for the animal, assuaging many people’s fears that it may go extinct. “The donkey industry is so large that we can’t exhaust its productivity or job creation, within these five years; we can create about 500,000 jobs for a start, because our investors are still waiting for us and we are waiting for them to meet our conditions. The moment these investors hit the ground, the employment rate will skyrocket to millions of jobs, because starting from the purchasing point to the final supplier or the exporter, it is about 11 economic value chain, which each is capable of creating about two million jobs, if properly harnessed”, he added.
Speaking on what donkey value chain can contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Dike said the figures would definitely change from 0 to 1 because this would be the first time Nigeria would be going into diversification, using donkey as a focal point. “So, whatever the livestock industry has been recording, the donkey is coming to power, and definitely it is going to affect the digit of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the industry”, he said. He added that the association had started its ranching and breeding in Nasarawa State on about 12 hectares of land. He added that the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Zaria, Kaduna State, had a Memorandum of Understanding with them, where they promised DDA the supply of latest reproductive technology system that could hasten the reproduction of donkeys.
