By Solomon OKPO | Uyo.
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to rehabilitate 417 grazing reserves across the country and establish modern ranching settlements in six conflict-prone areas as part of a comprehensive strategy to end recurring farmers-herders clashes.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Maiha identified Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Adamawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as priority locations for the intervention because of their history of violent conflicts between farming communities and herders.
According to the minister, the Federal Government has identified 417 grazing reserves nationwide and commenced a pilot ranching scheme in Plateau State to test a modern livestock production model designed to reduce cattle movement and its associated conflicts.
He said the initiative would involve extensive consultations with pastoral communities and about 34 relevant organisations to secure their cooperation in transitioning from nomadic livestock production to ranching.
Maiha disclosed that the government had recently held discussions with pastoralists led by the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, with another meeting expected within the next two weeks.
The minister explained that the traditional nomadic system was becoming increasingly unsustainable as grazing routes had been lost to expanding agricultural activities, urbanisation and infrastructure development.
“Why don’t you provide these resources and stop these animals from moving? Human beings can move; they don’t cause crises. It’s the animals’ movement that normally generates this crisis,” he said.
Under the new ranching model, the government plans to promote commercial pasture cultivation, enabling livestock owners to grow fodder within ranching settlements or source it from commercial farms and transport it to the animals.
Maiha also highlighted breed improvement as a key component of the programme, explaining that improved breeds would allow herders to maintain fewer animals while achieving higher milk and meat yields.
He said the proposed ranching settlements would go beyond conventional grazing reserves to become integrated economic communities equipped with housing, veterinary clinics, schools, healthcare facilities, solar power systems and earth dams for pasture irrigation.
“At the end of the day, each of those grazing reserves will become an economic hub,” the minister said.
He added that the government would encourage milk-processing companies, modular abattoirs and biodigesters to establish operations within the settlements, creating employment opportunities and strengthening the livestock value chain.
Maiha said consultations with pastoral communities had so far generated no resistance, stressing that the realities of land-use changes had made nomadic livestock production increasingly difficult to sustain.
As part of efforts to improve livestock security and accountability, the minister announced plans to introduce radio-frequency identification tags for animals. The system, he said, would help establish ownership, track livestock and facilitate the creation of a comprehensive national livestock database.
He further disclosed that the ministry had constructed seven model veterinary clinics and was working towards establishing at least one model veterinary hospital in every state.
The Federal Government, he said, was also encouraging investment in modern abattoirs, large-scale dairy projects and commercial fodder production, with the long-term objective of meeting domestic demand and developing Nigeria’s livestock products for export.
The planned reforms are expected to reposition the livestock sector from a largely traditional and nomadic system into a modern, commercially viable industry while addressing one of the major sources of farmer-herder conflicts in the country. Source: PUN
