To tackle the incessant farmer-herder crisis in the country, National Agricultural Mechanisation Cooperative of Nigeria (NAMCON) has disclosed plans to establish cattle ranches in the 774 local governments across Nigeria.
According to the National President of the cooperative, NAMCON, Dr Aliyu Waziri, the move is part of sustained efforts to modernise livestock production in the country, bolster value-addition and address the persistent clashes between farmers and herders.
Speaking with journalists in Kaduna over the weekend, Waziri said the ranches would be provided with adequate animal feeds, mega dams and an array of features of world-class equipment, thereby ensuring herders and their livestock have no cause to migrate in search of water and food.
He added that the ranches would be adequately equipped with clinics, western and Islamic schools and other necessary infrastructure.
In his words: “These ranches will be fully equipped for both rainy and dry season farming activities for the sustained production of food as this is very crucial to boosting food security, jobs creation, poverty eradication and jerking off Nigeria’s foreign reserves.”
According to the national president, the ranches will also have plantations of various economic trees like mango, guava and cashew, among others saying, “The gesture will also greatly help in combating the recurring herder-farmer clashes in the country.”
He maintained that the goal of the cooperative is to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector through mechanization and empowerment programs.
He recalled that in November 2021, NAMCON empowered 15 million farmers, especially women and young people, on farm mechanisation.
He then urged the government to maximize the agricultural sector’s hidden potential to address unemployment and food security.