As the conflict between normadic herdsmen and farmers across the country worsens, Benue State Governor, Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia yesterday called on the Federal Government to ban open grazing of cattle nationwide and embrace ranching as the best option for animal husbandry.
Governor Alia stated this while declaring open a two-day maiden Benue Livestock Summit themed: “Re-imagining the future of livestock production in Nigeria for economic sufficiency”, held in Makurdi, the state capital.
The governor said, “one of the critical take-aways I expect from this summit is an articulated roadmap for establishing ranches. The failure to develop model ranches in collaboration with farmers and the private sector has hindered livestock growth. We are poised to close this gap by operationalizing ranches and empowering farmers to expand beyond subsistence backyard livestock rearing.
“I also wish to reaffirm our administration’s commitment to the Prohibition of Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law 2017 (as amended). It is my hope that the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development will take the lead in national legislative reforms to prohibit open grazing and promote ranch establishment nationwide.
“This 1st Benue Livestock Summit marks the formal launch of a strategic partnership between Benue State, the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, and global livestock stakeholders.
“A revitalized livestock sector will not only address food insecurity but also create wealth and vast value-chain opportunities, making Nigeria a key player in the global livestock industry. Benue is fully aligned with this vision”, the governor noted.
Governor Alia sought the Minister’s support in attracting foreign direct investment into Benue’s pig industry giving the state’s economic, cultural, social advantages, stressing that the value chain holds tremendous potentials for the citizenry.
He said his administration is currently expanding arable lands and cultivating crops that serve as raw feeds that can be processed into livestock feeds.
He identified livestock development as the key driver of economic growth, stressing that his administration was indeed committed to establishing ten feed mills and ten hatcheries in each of the senatorial districts of the state as well as set up nine agricultural training centers to train extension workers and bridge extension-worker-farmer gap.
Speaking, the Hon. Minister of Livestock Development , Alhaji Idi Murktar Maiha, said that the creation of the Ministry is a clarion call to wealth creation, new jobs and overall national economic transformation.
Alhaji Maiha said the mandate of the Ministry at the federal level is to modernize the sector and create economic opportunities with the production and marketing of all animals ranging from the cattle, chemos, donkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, rabbits and grass-cutters among others.
“The livestock sector has several value chains that afforded any Nigerian to commence and grow the livestock business, commercial pasture production”.
He commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for establishing the Bureau for Livestock Development and appointment of competent hands to handle the office, promising federal government’s sustained support to steer affairs of the bureau.
In an address, the Director-General Bureau of Livestock Development and Trans-boundary animal diseases control, Dr. Aondoakaa Ansambe, said the summit underscores government’s unwavering commitment to harnessing the vast potential of the livestock sector and transforming it into a key driver of economic growth, job creation, and food security.
Dr. Ansambe said the summit aptly reflected on the urgency and importance of rethinking the strategies, policies, and approaches of government in the face of emerging global challenges.
He described the livestock sector as a critical component of Nigeria’s economy, contributing significantly to GDP, employment, trade, agribusiness, and food production.
