Future of cattle Ranching Concerns, praises dot Nigeria’s road to ranching
From Hope Abah (Makurdi), Isa Sa’idu (Zaria), Hussein Yahaya & Vincent A. Yusuf (Abuja)
The controversy stirred up by the Benue State open grazing prohibition law continues to generate heated arguments in several quarters not in only in the state but across the country, and even beyond.
Since the coming into effect of the law one month ago,
people have expressed divergent views about how the law could permanently solve incessant crises between herders and famers without any of the parties feeling cheated or having the source of their livelihood truncated.
While the law to many; especially citizens of the state, has become a watershed to end unnecessary killings of rural farmers, destruction of farm produce, as well as farms and property of local folks, sections of pastoralists have an axe to grind with the change.
Those nomadic herders not only hold the view that their constitutional right of freedom of movement has been tampered with. They also argue that their breed of cattle cannot be ranched.
However, some cattle breeders willing to remain in the state and having requested for space to ranch their animals in line with the law shared their experiences
of survival against the odds since the implementation of the law became effective on November 1.
With the issue of the anti open grazing law generating controversies, Daily Trust on Sunday visited some ranches owned by indigenous citizens of the state that had existed even before the law was premeditated to ascertain the conflicting opinions that have stepped up arguments beyond the shores of the state.
At Oracle Farms, owned by Governor Samuel Ortom, situated along KM 25, Naka Road in Makurdi, it was observed that three different species of cattle, including the breed commonly owned by the local nomads were reared in the ranch.
The Farm Manager, Azakohol Francis, who
has been working in the farm in the last since 15 years, conducted our correspondent around the three pens housing three different species of cattle.
“We have 250 cows in all the three pens. They include the exotic breed in Pen 1, the Western African Dwarf, popularly known as native cow, in Pen 2 and the White African Fulani (popularly bred by nomadic Fulani herders) in Pen 3,” he said.
Francis explained that feed for the cows was gotten from Oracle Feeds Mill while they got their grass from locals along Naka area and as far as Alaide Road, denying that the allegation about the farm buying off all grasses in advance from villages on the fringes of Makurdi was totally false.
“When we go to buy, the locals cut the grasses for us, we don’t book. We buy one bundle for N100, and we buy at least 1000 bundles three times in a week; which costs us N100, 000. We supplement it with other feeds. We started buying grass before the law, we still buy it now at the same price.
“At the moment, there is scarcity of grass, so we buy rice chaff per truck at N10,000 more than three times in a week. This depends on how we bargain with the farmer: it could be more. We buy supplement feed at N3000 per 50 kg bag from Oracle Feeds Mill and we buy 40 bags in a week at the cost of N120, 000,” Francis added.
He said despite the fact that the introduction of the grazing law had actually led to increase in prices of cattle as the ones that formally sold for N80, 000 now cost N120, 000, the animals in the ranch were very productive because of a number of factors such as adequate feeding, medicare and restriction of movement, among others.
The farm manager intimated that the farm began 15 years ago but they started ranching five years ago following the frequent crisis between herders and farmers in the state which resulted in several looses for them.
“The Fulani forced us into ranching. We have been ranching very well and it is possible to ranch except that the feed poses a bit of a challenge. However, we get supplements from Oracle Feed Mills,” he emphasised.
The mill, located at Goshen water facility within the same industrial layout, but on KM 18, produces general feeds rich in nutrients: protein and vitamins for the cattle and other livestock reared in the area.
At the farm, a mini-dam, boreholes and hand-dug well supplies the water needs of the animals while veterinary doctors are on hand to ensure the good health of the animals.
Francis said like every other business, funding was generated from trading activities carried out in the farm, stressing, however, that the governor being the owner of the farm did not contribute his personal resources or interfere with the running of the business.
“We sell our animals to fund the business. We sell the native for N300, 000 per one. Our people have special value for it and it is the specie mainly used for ceremonial activities like coronation. For now, we are not selling the exotic breed because we want them to reproduce as they were imported from Argentina only six months ago.
“The breed popularly referred to as Fulani White are each sold for N250, 000 for the bigger sizes while the smaller ones are sold N80, 000 each. The business is profitable. We make yearly profit after deducting all our expenses. We made a profit of N1.5m from the Fulani White last year. The Fulani breed mostly require grass for food.
“As for the native, we made a profit of N2m after deducting all expenses, including salaries. We also use money derived from other aspects of the farm to feed the cattle,” the farm manager maintained.
Similarly, at another ranch owned by a former Governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam, situated on the Achusa-Welfare Quarters Road in Makurdi, the animals were seen from a distance grazing.
Though our correspondent could not gain entrance into the ranch, as the manager of the farm was said to have travelled, it was, however, observed that the ranch which started several years ago appeared to be doing well.
Daily Trust on Sunday also learnt that the animals were let out of their pens to stroll within the expanse of land of the ranch to enable them graze on grasses and stretch.
On the part of the herders willing to comply with the law, the Ardo Fulani of Otukpo, Alhaji Risku, said discussions were going on with the local government authority to provide them with land to ranch their cattle.
Risku said they were currently suffering in terms of getting water and feeds for their cattle which were not allowed to roam and that an understanding was already being reached with stakeholders in the area to allow them openly graze their cattle within the space of two hours daily before returning them to the pens.
Similarly, the Cattle Rearers Association (CRA) at the International Cattle Market in Makurdi lamented that since the commencement of the law, it had not been easy for those of them who chose to remain in the state and do business. Therefore, they reiterated their call on the state government to relax some aspects of the law.
Secretary of CRA, Garba Mohammed, told Daily Trust on Sunday that their animals could only graze on the limited space allotted to them following the magnanimity of the soldiers of the 72 Special Forces army barracks in Makurdi after they could not take their cattle to graze outside the market as vigilante had been stationed close to the stream.
Mohammed said he personally owned 200 cattle while the association had over 3000 cattle grazing around the International Cattle Market before the law forced most of them out of the state.
He said, “Before the grazing law I had 200 cows but now I have only about 50 occasioned by the harshness of the law. This is because of the constraints, high cost of fodder and lack of basic amenities such as water within the market space.”
According to him, the high cost associated with grooming the animals had now affected their prices as the cattle which was sold before the law at N60, 000 now went for as much as N100, 000, even as he feared that many consumers would not be able to afford meat for the forthcoming Christmas.
“Before now, at least there were between 3000 and 4000 cows in this market, but you can see how empty the spaces are. Cattle owners have relocated because the cost of feeding their animals has gone up. We feed the cows expensively so we increase the prices and the result is low patronage. In any case, we still manage to make profit,” he said.
Mohammed, therefore, urged the government to resolve the issue by providing basic amenities for them: water and feeds for their cattle, adding that most of the over 1000 Benue youths who hitherto benefitted from the market through direct labour everyday had become helpless as some no longer had work to do.
His views were corroborated by Alhaji Danjuma, popularly called C13, who showed off a small bundle of grasses he bought for N1000 to feed his cows as he stressed that he purchased 15 of such bundles daily at N15, 000.
Danjuma also showed off the rice chaff he bought for N3000 as he decried the heavy financial burden those of them complying with the law were left in the state to contend with.
Our correspondent also chatted with three young men seen hawking grass and chaff in the market. One who gave his name as Mathew said his wheelbarrow-filled rice chaff cost N800, while another, Terver, with a bundle of grass put the cost at N450.
Interestingly, four-year-old Chado, also held tight to a pinch of grass as he scouted through the market looking for prospective customers to buy his weed for N50.
Speaking on the issues raised by the herders, a veterinary practitioner, Dr. Imenger Orduen, posited that the argument by the nomads alleging that their breed of cattle was not fit for ranching was baseless.
“I refer them to the Obudu Ranch in Cross River State. Their kind of cattle are the same as the one ranched in Obudu. There are lots of these White Fulani breed there, as well as exotic and local breeds. White Fulani, Sokoto Gudali, Adamawa Gudali, among others, are bred there as well.
“They (nomads) can successfully ranch their breed in this Benue. When we talk about ranching, you have your own area where the cows go about, restricted, but not like you confine them in pens. They stroll around, graze around and come back to their pens. Within that confinement, the animals graze. They herders are also allowed to grow grasses within the ranch to pasture the animals,” he explained.
He also dismissed the notion about cows dying at the slightest stress, noting, however, that if the cattle were adequately taken care of, health wise, they did not die easily, and that even without or with poor feeding, they could survive for four weeks.
Orduen added that, “The thing about the law is that it is new and anything new has challenges, but with time, they (people) will adapt to it. In foreign countries, these are not new.
“We are not going backwards; we need to adapt to move forward. So, it is very possible to ranch whatever breed of cattle in Benue. We will overcome the challenges. Government will also need to assist them to adapt to changes. Of course, if they want a place where they can ranch, they can get it.”
In the veterinary doctor’s estimation, there was no need to go back to the days of moving animals about because it was not healthy for the population as diseases could transfer from animals to man.
On concerns raised about possible environmental hazards, Orduen said there was nothing of such, stressing that there were more advantages in ranching than any other archaic
practice of rearing cattle.
“It is a fact that nothing is actually wasted in ranching. The faeces from these animals are used as manure to grow plants or even to grow pastures for them. Talking about erosion, I don’t know how that will cause erosion on a particular area, maybe they would have to explain further, but I think we should not limit our knowledge to the old practice.
“For in the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), animal practitioners, when the animals are ranched, it would help us to manage their health better and administer drugs and get records straight. The only thing about keeping the animals within a confined environment is to supplement their feeds for nutrients to make up for what they do not get from open grazing,” Orduen concluded.
A member of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) who spoke on condition of anonymity said they have informally met with the Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, over the new law. He said the governor told them to make their position to him in writing. The governor, according to our source, mistook the anti open grazing phenomenon as purely a legal issue, not knowing it was an issue that could threaten the unity of the country. He said Nigerian herders had rights and privileges and the atrocities committed by a section of the group could not be used as an excuse to deny all of them these rights and privileges.
He added, “We approached him informally and told him that the attempt to make the herders aliens in their country was dangerous. We told him that the issue was not purely legal, but that it was also political. He told
us that it was because of inputs like ours that he delayed the implementation of the law for six months. He, however, asked us to put our advice in writing and send to him.
“We are now waiting for an appointment to meet him. We have prepared a report after consultation with relevant experts. The report addresses
political and legal issues on open grazing and we are going to give him as soon as we secure the appointment.”
On its part, the Federal Government said efforts were being intensified to actualise the ranch system as clashes between herdsmen and farmers were on the increase daily.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who spoke through his spokesman, Dr. Olukayode Oyeleye, told Daily Trust on Sunday that the number of states that donated hectares of land had increased from 11 to 13.
“The Federal Government is persuading more states to key into the programme as it strives to institutionalise the culture of change in the way we raise our livestock as the way forward to solving the challenges of banditry, rustling and clashes,” he said.
Dr. Oyeleye said what government was trying to do was to kick-start the process with the states, which would eventually be a public-private-partnership driven initiative in the long run.
He said the Federal Government, in partnership with states, would develop infrastructural facilities like grasses, water, animal clinics, schools, roads and security in the marked areas for the herders.