Almost half the land area of Niger is classified as pasture, but, like agriculture, animal husbandry has suffered greatly from insufficient rainfall. In 2001 there were an estimated 2.2 million head of cattle, 6.9 million goats, 4.5 million sheep, and 415,000 camels. About 12% of Niger's GDP comes from livestock production, which engages 29% of the population. Official statistics of Niger seriously underrepresent total exports—most animals are herded across borders without documentation.
Meat production, which had dropped to 38,000 tons in 1973, was an estimated 135,000 tons in 2001. Production of milk from goats and cows came to 105,000 and 184,000 tons, respectively. Cattle hides came to about 6,000 tons; sheepskins, 2,000 tons; and goatskins, 4,000 tons. There is a tannery at Maradi. Sandals, briefcases, and fine ladies handbags of high quality are produced in small numbers but seldom exported.
Meat exports are inspected and controlled by the customs service before leaving the country. Only inspected, tuberculin-tested cattle are used in export meat production. The Niger River valley south of Say is infested by the tsetse fly, and trypanosomiasis is, therefore, a major cattle disease.