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Audu Ogbeh, Nigerian minister of agriculture advocates for an end to cattle roaming to stop the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria. He is also asking the World Bank to help in establishing grazing fields for cattle rearers
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Apr 4, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT |
WITH the growing fight between Fulani herdsmen and farmers, Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development, has said that the issue of cattle grazing in livestock production posed serious problems to West African countries. He said that the activities of the herdsmen often resulted to violence between them and farmers in the country.
Ogbeh, who stated this during a meeting with a delegation from the World Bank led by Mukhtar Diop, vice president, African Region, said the attention of the government had hitherto focused on some segments of farming such as rice, cotton, soya bean farmers while nobody had remembered to do anything for the cattle farmers who now resorted to self- help that often leads to violence.
According to him, cattle roaming usually deplete their nutrients thereby reducing the quality and quantity of milk and meat produced. He also expressed concern over the population growth in the West African sub-region with high number of unemployed youths, and advocated the need for African countries to deal with the issue, saying that there was no proper attention to the plight of youths in the past.
The minister urged the ministers of agriculture in the West Africa sub-region to work together to proffer solutions to myriad of problems facing agricultural production in the sub region. “We could have a beautiful future in Africa, if we organise ourselves very well.”
He commended the World Bank for their supports for the country in so many areas including agriculture over the years and solicited for more supports particularly in livestock production. He expressed the urgent need for the World Bank to support the West Africa countries to solve the problem of cattle grazing, saying that it is time for West Africa to stop cattle roaming so that the production of milk will rise while the Fulani herdsmen will live normal life.
The minister also sought for support from the World Bank in the agricultural value chain, packaging and standardisation of agricultural produce, agricultural mechanisation and seed quality among others. He said there was need for Nigeria to have an all-year-round farming practice by harvesting three crops of maize and two crops of rice annually in order to catch up with the needs of population growth which he put at 450 million by the year 2050.
Ogbeh maintained that the Labour Intensive Family Enterprise, LIFE, of the federal government which is on course would create wealth and jobs to the rural youth and women as well as reduce rural-urban migration.
Earlier, Diop said the team was in the ministry to map out ways of assisting Nigeria in moving agricultural sector to the next level. The vice president said his organisation noted the vision of the present administration towards the development of agricultural sector and expressed the willingness of the World Bank to give necessary support to accelerate the growth.
The World Bank had developed and launched a regional project which covers countries like Chad, Niger, Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso in agriculture, adding that Chad has a grazing area that had been identified as a one-stop shop which have specific points of access to water, irrigation services, educational services and other services to support farmers.
The Fulani herdsmen had on March 5 killed more than 300 persons while thousands of others were injured and displaced from their homes at Agatu Local Government, an Idoma community in the north central of Benue State.
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