The Executive Director, Hadejia Jama’are River Development Authority, Ma’amun Da’u Aliyu, has warned that herdsmen should sell their cattle and venture into another form of business if they cannot maintain them.
Da’u made the warning while responding to questions from newsmen over the increasing farmers/herdsmen clashes along Hedejia valley irrigation plan, at his office in Kano.
He said the Federal Government had taken care of the interest of both parties in the establishment and rehabilitation of irrigation projects in the country.
“The Federal Government had demarcated enough farmland for farmers, cattle route and grazing reserves to herdsmen in order to address the lingering farmers/herdsmen conflict in the county,” he said.
He explained that just as farming is a business, animal husbandry is also a business therefore one cannot sacrifice his business because of the other.
“If a farmer has one hectare of farmland, so that is his asset, also who has five, ten or more cows, that are his assets and because of your animals you cannot deny farmers their business,” Da’u said.
He therefore warned that any herdsman who cannot take care of his cattle should sell them off and venture into another business.
He however advised that farmers can also protect their farmland either by fencing or community policing to limit animal wandering in the area.
Da’u said the Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, has embarked on the full rehabilitation of the irrigation schemes across the existing River Basins Authority in the North.
He said the rehabilitation project will pave the way for farmers to have smooth farming exercise for the whole year.
Da’u therefore urged the Federal Government to make provision to subsidize the animal husbandry sector as it has been subsidizing Agriculture in the country.
The Federal Government had recently introduced a replacement Rural Grazing area scheme called the livestock intervention program to address the farmers/herdsmen conflict across the country.
