The National Institute of Animal Science, NIAS, wants All the gazetted grazing reserves across the Country to be transformed to ranches.
Speaking to newsmen at a press conference in Abuja, on the solution to the incessant farmers, herders clashes, the President, NIAS Professor Eustace Iyayi, recommends that the policy transformation of grazing reserves to ranches be adopted immediately.
Over the years, Nigeria has continued to witness the escalation of the conflict between farmers and herders both in intensity and widespread.
This is why the National Institute of Animal Science, NIAS, is advocating the establishment of ranches as a way of resolving farmers/herders crisis.
While government has been trying to resolve the conflicts, they have continued unabated resulting in the loss of lives, displacement, distrust, destruction of properties leading to food insecurity and unemployment.
The Institute recommends that government should work with the various Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the involvement of the private sector for operationalization of the ranching and commercial pasture projects.
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Nigeria has more than 500 grazing reserves which the experts expect should be transformed to ranches.
Iyayi maintained that Cattle remain valuable national asset to the country and its production must be sustained.
Consequent upon the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disorganized the international supply chain, lingering insecurity in the north east and north west, farmers-herders conflicts, and flooding in some grain producing areas of the country, the livestock industry and particularly the poultry subsector has been hit by maize and soybean scarcity.
Among other things the institution also wants government to stop the exportation of maize and soybean, to curb scarcity and price escalation of the commodities.
Edited by Tunde Orebiyi.
