FG to open up cattle routes, initiate pasture production

The Federal Government is to demarcate 6,000 kilometres of cattle routes across the country to facilitate easy movement of cattle.

It will also introduce commercial pasture production to provide enough food for the cattle to discourage long distance migrations by herders.

The National Coordinator, Grazing Stock Routes, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mahmud Bello, disclosed this in Bauchi on the side of a meeting with the leadership of herders and farmers at Mararaba Dajin, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, saying the plan was to find ways of minimizing clashes between herders and farmers across the country.

“We are going to provide 6,000 kilometres of cattle routes across the country; we are going to open the primary routes first, while the state and local governments are expected to launch secondary routes,” he said.

Indicating that the 6,000 kilometres would not be evenly spread, he explained, “All the states will not have equal share of the routes. Bauchi may have 200 kilometres and Plateau may have 50 kilometres.’’

Bello said the cattle routes would increase livestock production as well as minimize conflicts between herders and farmers.

Speaking of the the pasture development initiative, Bello said, “We are going to develop 50 hectares of land as pasture development centres for seed multiplication in all the grazing reserves in the country. The centres will serve as seed banks for commercial pasture production.’’

He said the pasture development project would encourage pastoralists who were migrating in search of pasture and water for their animals to settle down in one place.