The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has distributed millions of naira worth of relief materials to over 300 livestock farmers who were affected by flood in Taraba in 2022.
The Director, Department of Animal Husbandry Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Winnie Lai-Solarin, said during the distribution of the materials in Jalingo, that the federal government was mindful of the role of livestock farmers in the sustenance of the food security value chain in the country.
Lai-Solarin, who was represented by Shuaibu Maidugu, a Chief Animal husbandry officer in the department, said items provided by the federal government to the affected farmers include 600 bags of ruminant feed (cotton seed cake), mineral salt blocks as well as 600 bags of pasture seeds of different varieties.
She said items provided to livestock farmers were meant to boost the quality and quantity of beef and dairy products from their farms.
According to her, the strategy was also aimed at encouraging the farmers to plant improved pasture and engage in the production of good feeds for the animals.
“This would go a long way in reducing the age-long conflicts between livestock and crop farmers to the barest minimum,” she said.
She explained that “Gamba grass and andropogon seeds are simple to grow and good food supplement for animals which would, over time, reduce the frequency of movement of livestock from one area to another in search of pasture.”
Mrs. Lai Solarin reassured the farmers that government would continue to render support to them to continue to play their roles in the food security value chain.
“The farmers should always maintain good husbandry and practice climate smart livestock agriculture production,” she said.
In his goodwill message at the event, the Permanent Secretary Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Sale Pavali, recalled that Taraba was among states that experienced heavy flooding which destroyed not only crops, but also various categories of livestock across many local government areas.
He appreciated the intervention of the federal government, and explained that Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security was considering an enhanced partnership with the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project to improve the state’s livestock sector.
Hajiya Aishatu Ardo, a beneficiary of the exercise who spoke on behalf of others, appreciated the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for its timely intervention and assured that the support would be properly utilized to improve the quality of livestock in their farms.
Aishatu, who is also the Chief Executive of Ardo Yahya Global Ventures, as well as State Chairman of the Fulbe Development and Cultural Organization (FUDECO), observed that with the proper government’s attention on the livestock sector, farmers would do well in improving their daily supplies of beef and dairy products for the Nigerian markets.
Daily Trust on Sunday reports that hundreds of affected livestock farmers from flood-prone local governments of the state benefited from the federal government’s gesture.
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