Agricultural expert, Simon Ogbaji, from Cross River State, Nigeria, suggests that reviving the Obudu Cattle Ranch could sustain beef and dairy production.
He emphasized that the ranch is not just for tourism and entertainment but has the potential for significant livestock output.
Formerly known as the Obudu Cattle Ranch, now the Obudu Mountain Resort, it sits on the Obudu plateau near the Cameroon border and is owned by the Cross River government. Ogbaji, a consultant with the state’s Ministry of Livestock, urges Governor Bassey Otu to explore the ranch’s potential for livestock production.
Highlighting the ranch’s history in the 1970s, Ogbaji mentions its past success in beef and milk production, emphasizing that the facilities still exist but are currently abandoned. He believes that with modest investment, the ranch could once again contribute significantly to the state’s livestock industry.
“The ranch is not all about tourism; in the days of Mr Donald Duke, the Ranch was conceded to a company called Farm Fresh but they could not manage it, while Mr Liyeel Imoke took it from Farm Fresh and handed it to another company to run.
“Since then, nothing has happened in the ranch. Maybe it is political. Otherwise, the facilities are still there, including the dairy houses with a large expanse of grazing land.
“If the ranch is put to use, we will not depend on the north for beef production again, as there will be enough production of milk and beef in Cross River,” he noted.
Ogbaji added that apart from having an expanse of land for grazing, in a secure environment, the people of the area were interested in cattle rearing. All the state needed to do was to engage them.
