Farmers, herdsmen clash, FG plans to plant grasses

herdsmen

The Federal Government through it Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) would soon be embarking on grass planting towards checkmating clashes constantly occurring between the farmers and herdsmen majorly occasioned as result of food and water for cattle. 

 

The minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh disclosing this at a kanef stakeholders meeting organized at Raw Material Research Council Development (RMRDC)  conference room at Abuja said that his ministry would soon embark on the progrmme of grass planting to checkmate clashes between farmers and herdsmen over food and water scarcity to feed animals added the Agricultural Research Institute in Zaria would be mandate to research into improved seeds for high yield.

Chief Ogbeh said that Nigeria should take a clue from Saudi Arabia who has being able to surmount its desert ecological disadvantages to produce milk stressing Nigeria with better agrarian climatic condition should be able to produce enough grasses to feed her cattle to checkmate clashes of herdsmen and farmers going on increase day by day.

Facing Prof. Salihu Adamu Dadari, department of Agronomy, Institute of Agricultural Research Institute (IAR), chief Audu Ogbeh said his ministry would soon embark on massive production of grasses for cattle and there is need to engage the services of researchers to research into improved seeds for grasses rapid multiplication.  

It would be recalled that Nigeria has recorded many farmers and cattle rearers clashes that have claimed lived and properties loss as the minister opined that a programme on grass production was an anti dole to this challenges in Nigeria.

 Disputes between nomads and farmers over grazing and watering rights are common in northern and central Nigeria leading to frequent deadly flare-ups.

The problem has persisted despite interventions by state governments and community leaders who tried to broker truce between the two sides and ending the cycle of deadly attacks and reprisals, and recently at a village called Girei, a few kilometer away from Yola the herders attacked the farming hamlets of Demsare, Wunamokoh, Dikajam and Taboungo thereby destructing farm crops.