April 30, 2010

FAO to provide feed for 36 million cattle in Nigeria

The Food and Agriculture Organization said it will provide feed for more than 36 million cattle in Nigeria to help end a food crisis in the West A frican nation.

The FAO will distribute 8,950 tonnes of wheat and cottonseed cake this year to support about 60,000 breeders' households among the most vulnerable, Mustafa Gassama, a representative for the Rome-based United Nations agency said in an interview yesterday.

About 7.8 million people face severe hunger in Nigeria, according to the National Institute of Statistics. Almost 70% of the country's livestock are at risk after erratic rains reduced pasture land, the FAO said on its website on April 21.