The federal government has revealed plans to move away from the traditional livestock breeding methods to modern and more improved methods.
Minister of agriculture and rural development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, stressed that the move was aimed at providing good animal husbandry and ending the herdsmen/farmers clashes which has cost the Nigerian economy huge losses.
According to him: “This administration has set out to establish ranches to be planted with high quality grass,provide all year irrigation for all year commercial fodder production,cattle and sheep improvement through expanded breeding programmes as well as establishment of clusters of dairy farmers to be equipped with milk collection facilities.”
He stated that the movement of animals within and across agro-geological zones has precipitated resource use competition resulting in high incidence of conflicts between crop farmers and pastoralists across the country.
The minister also bemoaned that past experience in the creation and management of grazing reserves in Nigeria has shown that many stakeholders were left out of the planning and management which eventually led to the loss of these facilities to buildings and farmlands.
In mitigating this challenges the minister said the ministry recognises the need to mobilise and organise the diverse pastoral communities to adopt improved techniques of livestock production. This would require among others, cultivation of high yielding pastures in the agro ecological zones and creating an enabling environment.
