Stories by John Oba
Abuja
As parts of efforts to restrict and bring to an end the roaming of the cattle rearers and perennial conflicts between the pastoralists and crop farmers all over the country, the federal government is set to improve and expand the agribusiness in the livestock sector by introducing commercial production of grass for feeding of cattle.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has said that agribusiness in the livestock sector would be improved and expanded to include commercial production of grass for feeding cattle.
He made the statement at the weekend in Abuja while receiving the team of surveyors, led by Surveyor-General of the federation in his office.
“We are taking a radical step and we are beginning now. We are going to grow grass on a very large scale all over this country. I am as rigid as a rock that we are going to grow grass,” Chief Ogbe maintained.
He disclosed that some grasses taken from Africa to Brazil and subjected to 16 years of research for use in that country, producing 28 per cent crude protein, will be brought in for use under this programme.
“By April ending, the first grass supply should be on the way if not already arrived,” he said.
The minister was emphatic that, with the continued existence of “cattle grazing and stock routes, conflicts still continue to grow, with cases of deaths rising along the routes.”
To reverse the untoward trends, he said “Cattle roaming has to end. We just have to grow grass.”
He noted that “the largest cattle ranch in the world is in Saudi Arabia, with 153,000 cows, and the country sells milk to other gulf states. They buy grass from Sudan and from US, and they are going to be buying grass from Ethiopia.”
He therefore noted that the north is not yet a desert, it is only arid, and that there are many dams that could be used for irrigation, even though irrigation may not be necessary in certain areas, particularly in the south.
“If certain countries sell grass to Saudi Arabia, there is no reason we cannot grow grass in Nigeria in the south and sell to the north of this country.”
The minister observed that there are problems with animal grazing that need to be solved urgently as the “old grazing reserve is not feasible anymore. States are having problems with it.” For Nigeria, he said, “in another five years, there should be no roaming of cattle.” He expressed concerns on the issue of cattle rearers from other neigbouring countries coming into Nigeria with cattle and with sophisticated weapons, killing people indiscriminately. He said this has to be dealt with at the ECOWAS level.
The Surveyor-General of the federation, Mr. Ebisintei Awudu, noted that his office has mapped the entire Nigeria. “We have satellite image of the entire Nigeria at 2.5 metre resolution,” he said, adding that “we have surveyors posted to ministries. It is important for your ministry to have one surveyor, to be involved in survey and mapping of soils.”
Surveyor Barde Jatau, a director in the office of the Surveyor-General of the federation, lamented the neglect of their office, promising to support and assist the ministry of agriculture.
