Adamawa, Plateau, Nasarawa to commence livestock plan

The Federal Government has named Adamawa, Plateau and Nasarawa as states that would commence the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) in the country.

The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led National Economic Council (NEC) sub-committee yesterday disclosed that the states had made land available for the project, funded by the Federal Government after their submission of an evaluation plan for the establishment of ranches or livestock centres.

Speaking with State House Correspondents after a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and the governor of Ebonyi State and chairman of the sub-committee on NLTP, David Umahi, stated that the effort would resolve the farmers and herders crisis.

He disclosed that their meeting was in furtherance of the committee’s programmes towards implementation of the NLTP of NEC.

Specifically, the NLTP sub-committee was set up by NEC to find a lasting solution to the incessant farmers/herders crisis in the country.
According to him, “We have penciled down three states that we have evaluated: Adamawa, Plateau and Nasarawa. So, we are going ahead to ask them to submit their programmes and costing for implementation.

“Three states that have grazing reserves and we have spoken to people in the grazing reserves, the traditional rulers, the district heads and the population within that location and they are willing to go with the programme: the NLTP.”

Umahi further explained: In this programme, you are going to have some farmers that are within the grazing reserves doing their farming and the herders also doing theirs. Of course there is going to be a demarcation.

“The emphasis still remains that it is the willing states. Even if you have grazing reserves like some states in the north and the state is not willing to key into it, it is not compulsory.

“The expectation is that we have clear mandates. One is that this programme is going to resolve, to a very large extent, the farmers-herders conflict.

“So, if we revive some of the grazing reserves, especially in the north, for willing states, we are going to see this conflict come down. Then, also, a modern way of cow rearing for greater benefits. These are things we expect to see.”

Answering questions on the impact of improved rice production on the economy of Ebonyi, he said the Anchor Borrowers programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria had helped in shooting up the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state.

“Our GDP is rising because we get help from the Federal Government, from the CBN and the fertiliser programme. So, there is no doubt that our GDP is rising and the youths are finding work to do,” he stated

On how to sustain the increase in local rice production in the country, Umahi said the development “is quite a success.”