Pasture availability will address food insecurity — FG

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has said that the provision of Pasture for livestock production will address the issue of food insecurity and the lingering crisis between farmers and herders.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe stated this during this year’s National Pasture Planting Day (NPPD) at Brookland Ranch, Dafara by Passali, Kuje Area Council Abuja.

Dr Umakhihe who was represented by the Director Federal Cooperative of the Ministry, Engr Jubril Abubakar, said pastures development plays an important role in the livestock industry because it is an economic source of livestock feed.

He recalled that NPPD was launched with symbolic pasture planting by the immediate past Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar at paikon-kore grazing reserve, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT on 28th June 2022 and declared the date as the National Pasture Planting Day.

He said pasture development will further cause an improvement in milk production, a cheaper source of feed, access to dry-season grazing reserves, healthier livestock, improved performance and productivity for livestock and easier livestock management for better security of livestock.

“As part of Federal Government’s concerted efforts in transforming the livestock industry, it is imperative to know that this programme is coming up at the right time because it will address several issues presently faced by the country due to food insecurity, increased crop farmers/pastoralist clashes, cattle rustling among other critical issues.

“This programme will emphasize fodder availability throughout the year, including during drought periods and this will drastically lessen herders’ conflicts within the country,” he said.

Also, the National President of Muhammad Ali Baba Mallam National Association for Livestock Feeds Producers, Processors and Marketers of Nigeria, (NAFLiPPMON) called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to create enabling environment for the Livestock value chain to thrive by creating dedicated funds for the sub-sector.

He said the Livestock feed sub-sector has the capacity to create 3,000,000 (three million) jobs annually and end the menace of farmer-herders clashes in the country.

Ali Baba further called on President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in other critical sectors of the economy to complement Ease of Doing Business, especially across the agricultural Sector, to ensure National Food Security and checkmate the spiralling Food Inflation ravaging the Nation.

NAFLiPPMON also called for aggressive revitalisation of Nation’s Grazing Reserves and rapid implementation of all aspects of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), using it as a platform for reaching out to the grassroots where real farmers live.

Peter Yunusa Umar, Village Head, Dafara Community, Kuje Area Council while commending the Federal Government for the initiative, expressed confidence that the programme will end the persistent clash between farmers and herders.

“I am happy about this programme because it can make peace between farmers and herders, if they continue planting grasses, it will reduce conflict between herdsmen and farmers,” Umar added.