22 states, FCT register for grazing reserve initiatives -FG

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Sabo Nanono, Thursday said 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory had registered for the National Livestock Transformation Programme.

The programme seeks permanent a solution to the frequent farmers-herders crisis through the establishment of grazing reserves, among others, for the herders.

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The minister, who spoke at the 44th National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development in Abuja, said out of this number, ten states had created their teams which had been trained by the federal office.

‘’Seven of these 10 states have also earmarked about 19 grazing reserves for the implementation of the NLTP with a total land size of approximately 400,000 hectares” he said.

Nanono did not however name the states involved, but said if fully implemented, it would end the “incessant clashes between the farmers and herdsmen.

He also said the government had entered into a partnership with Brazilian technology transfer institution, the Fundacao Getulio Vargas on agricultural mechanisation resulting in a loan of €995m to be distributed to Nigerian agro-entrepreneurs soon.

He said the loan “shall be granted to Nigerian entrepreneurs to establish service centres across all the 774 local governments of the country, selling services to all categories of farmers and thereby helping to improve their productivity.”