Onome Amuge
Nigeria’s pig farming/pork industry occupies a curious space between promise and persistent neglect. Pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world, pig production ranks among the most efficient livestock systems, and Nigeria already holds the position of Africa’s largest producer and consumer of pork. Despite these advantages, the country continues to import the bulk of the pork it consumes, draining scarce foreign exchange, constraining job creation and forfeiting a value chain that analysts estimate could add more than N265 billion to the economy within the next four years.
Against the backdrop of rising food inflation, widespread unemployment and foreign exchange shortages, this contradiction is difficult to ignore. Industry observers argue that piggery, frequently viewed as a niche or culturally sensitive activity, has the potential to emerge as one of Nigeria’s most commercially viable livestock industries, provided structural and policy barriers are effectively addressed.
“The economics of pig farming are compelling. Yet, Nigeria has failed to capture even a fraction of the value that the sector offers,” said Akinyele Adesehinwa, professor of animal science at Obafemi Awolowo University and national president of the Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria.
Pork accounts for about 36 per cent of global meat consumption, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The global pork market is projected to generate revenues of over $340 billion in 2025, with annual growth estimated at more than six per cent over the rest of the decade.
What makes pork particularly attractive is not only demand, but efficiency. Pigs grow faster than cattle, require less space, reproduce quickly and convert feed to meat more efficiently than most other livestock. These attributes explain why the FAO consistently ranks pig production among the most profitable livestock enterprises globally.
China, which dominates global pig production with over 450 million pigs, has built entire industrial ecosystems around pork, spanning genetics, feed milling, veterinary pharmaceuticals, processing and export. Nigeria, by contrast, remains stuck at the production end of the chain, with little processing, weak cold-chain infrastructure and fragmented market organisation.
Yet Nigeria’s fundamentals are strong. The FAO estimates that Nigeria accounts for nearly 19 per cent of Africa’s pork output over the last decade, despite disruptions from African Swine Fever (ASF) and the COVID-19 pandemic. Pork production is expected to rise 22.6 per cent between 2020 and 2029, reaching 341,000 metric tonnes. Still, that growth falls far short of demand.
Industry figures indicate Nigeria consumes more than 600,000 metric tonnes of pork annually. Local production meets less than half of that demand, forcing the country to rely heavily on imports,particularly processed pork products such as sausages, bacon and frozen cuts.
A study by the African Union’s Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) estimates that as much as 80 per cent of pork consumed in Nigeria is imported, costing the country about $3 billion annually. Even conservative estimates place import dependence at over 65 per cent.
For an economy facing FX shortages, the numbers are significant. Pork imports now represent a hidden but growing drain on Nigeria’s external reserves, one that rarely features in mainstream trade debates dominated by rice, wheat and fuel.
“The irony is that Nigeria has the animals, the farmers and the market. What we don’t have is a functioning pork value chain,” said an agribusiness analyst in Lagos.
Contrary to common assumptions, pork consumption in Nigeria is not marginal. Demand is strongest in southern and central states including Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Benue and Plateau, where pork is culturally accepted and increasingly featured in restaurants, hotels and fast-food outlets.
Urbanisation and the expansion of Nigeria’s middle class have played a major role. As incomes rise, consumers are shifting from staple carbohydrates to animal protein. Pork, often cheaper than beef and more versatile than goat meat, has benefited from this trend.
With Nigeria’s population growing rapidly, protein demand is expected to rise over the next decade. Experts argue that pork, given its cost advantage, could play a critical role in closing Nigeria’s animal protein gap. Yet while demand has risen, domestic supply has struggled to keep pace.
The reasons are complex, spanning culture, policy, finance and infrastructure. Religious bias remains a major factor. Pork consumption is prohibited in Islam, limiting demand in northern Nigeria and discouraging large-scale, nationwide investments. While poultry and beef enjoy universal acceptance, pork markets are geographically fragmented.
“There is a strong regional concentration of both production and consumption. This limits economies of scale and makes investors cautious,” president of the Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria noted.
Beyond culture, there is policy incoherence. Livestock development has long been overshadowed by crop agriculture, receiving limited budgetary support and weak institutional coordination. Extension services that once supported farmers have largely collapsed, leaving smallholders without technical guidance on feeding, breeding or disease management.
Disease, particularly African Swine Fever, has also taken a toll. ASF outbreaks have periodically wiped out herds, discouraging reinvestment and reinforcing perceptions of pig farming as risky.
“Biosecurity is critical, but many smallholders lack the resources to implement proper measures. Without compensation systems or insurance, a disease outbreak can wipe out years of investment,” Adesehinwa said.
One of the biggest constraints is access to finance. Pig farming in Nigeria is dominated by small and medium-scale operators who rely on personal savings or informal credit. Commercial banks remain wary of livestock risks, while existing agricultural intervention funds often prioritise crops over animals.
Taiwo Dauda, a pig farmer in Ogun State, said entry into pig farming can be gradual. “You can start with two females and a male, or even just three females. When they are ready for mating, you take them to a breeder. That way, you manage your costs,” he explained.
According to Dauda, profitability is driven by breed quality and management. Improved breeds such as Large White or hybrid varieties can reach 120–150kg, compared to much lower weights for indigenous pigs.
“A 100kg pig can sell for over N200,000. If you raise 10 pigs of good breed and sell at N180,000 each, that’s close to N2 million,” he noted.
Despite these economics, scaling remains difficult without affordable credit. Industry experts argue that low-interest loans with appropriate moratoriums could unlock rapid growth.
Nigeria’s pork challenge is not just about farming; it is about value addition. In advanced pork-producing countries, processing accounts for a significant share of industry revenues. Bacon, sausages, hams and cured meats generate far more value than live animals. In Nigeria, most of this value is imported.
The absence of modern pig meat processing plants has left farmers dependent on informal markets and middlemen. Cold-chain infrastructure is limited, constraining distribution beyond local markets and raising food safety concerns.
“The pig is like the palm tree, every part has value,” Adesehinwa said. Beyond meat, pigs provide leather, cosmetics inputs, pharmaceuticals, animal feed ingredients, biogas and organic fertiliser. In Nigeria, most of these by-products are wasted.
Industry stakeholders argue that private investment in processing facilities, supported by aggregator models that link farmers to processors, could transform the sector. Such models have already gained traction in poultry and dairy.
Another challenge is genetics. Nigeria’s indigenous pig breeds, once well adapted to local conditions, are increasingly endangered due to uncontrolled crossbreeding and lack of conservation programmes.
At the same time, imported genetic materials, which could improve productivity, are poorly regulated. Adesehinwa called for a national framework to manage the importation, preservation and use of improved pig genetics. Without genetic improvement, Nigeria’s productivity gap will persist, limiting competitiveness against imports.
Beyond economics, pig farming has social implications. Smallholder pig production offers a pathway to income generation in rural areas, particularly for youth and women. Because pigs reproduce quickly, returns can be realised faster than in cattle farming.
Higher productivity at farm level translates into better incomes, improved living standards and increased access to animal protein, a critical issue in Nigeria, where per capita protein consumption remains below global averages.
“If properly exploited, the pig industry can contribute significantly to GDP, employment and food security,” Adesehinwa said.
According to analysts, Nigeria’s pig farming sector is not short of potential. What it lacks is strategic focus. As the government intensifies efforts to reduce food imports and conserve foreign exchange, pork deserves a place in the conversation. They assert that with the right mix of policy support, private investment and disease management, the sector could shift from a fragmented cottage industry to a structured agribusiness ecosystem.
