The Minister
of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said the Federal
Government will soon begin cattle ranching in the country to stop cattle and
herdsmen from roaming.
Ogbeh made
the disclosure on Monday during his official visit to a beans market located at
Auta Ballefi, Nasarawa State, operated by the Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs).
“We are
starting the ranches soon. We will see if we can buy large number of shell and
keep before we start. We want to stop the cows roaming about causing fights and
killings.
“We will buy
and give them to feed their cows now until they get use to the ranches. We want
to know if you have up to a trailer load. We will see what we can do if we can
off-take the shell from you’’ he added.
The News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beans market was set up three years
ago in collaboration with the Catholic Diocese of Abuja to empower the IDPs
from the North East.
The
minister, however warned farmers against preserving beans with sniper after
harvesting.
“We are
proud of what we are seeing here today because this is not what we normally see
in the IDPs. Most of the IDPs we visited are always waiting for people to bring
food to them.
“But here,
you are producing food and making money. You have told us what you need and as
we go back to the office, we will find ways of helping you.
“I have
never seen any beans market as big as this. And because you are farming, we are
going to help you improve on what you are doing.
“I assure you
that before the next planting season, we will bring three tractors here. You
manage the tractors to do your farming.
“The first
thing I will say now is nobody should put sniper on the beans again for storage
because it is poisonous to human health.
“Instead,
use pepper for preservation. That is why when we export beans, they are being
rejected in Europe,” he said.
The minister
restated government’s commitment to provide big market for farm produce to
avoid post-harvest losses.
“We will
find bigger markets to buy what you are producing. We are going to be buying
from this market for schools’ programmes because is clean and direct from the
farms.
“From the
report released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) few days ago says the
country has saved N51 billion in 34 months from importation. We have cut down
food importation which is good.’’
In remarks,
John Cardinal Onayikan, the Cardinal of the Abuja Catholic Diocese, expressed
delight at the activities by the IDPs, saying they refused to depend on the
Federal Government for their sustenance.
He described
attitude of the IDPs as“ a good thing” and stated that their market was unique
due to the composition of people that were displaced from their respective
homes by insurgency.
“You can’t
beat what these people are doing here. Their farms are inside, like 15 to 20
kilometres away from here. The beans brought here are just harvest and fresh
from their farms.
“ We have
been having problems with the IDPs as a result of the insurgency. These people
that produce and sell these beans are in the IDPs camps. They are not longer
depending on anybody for assistance.
“They are
taking care of themselves, building their own houses, sending their children to
schools and looking forward to a better future. They are having hoped to return
home when that section of Nigeria is liberated thought insurgency.
“We heard
about the IDPs and in my church, the social welfare and charity group visited
their camps three years ago and encouraged them into farming without waiting
for government. And this is the result of their commitment,’’ he said.
Responding,
Mr Sunday Wabba, Coordinator, IDPs Beans Market, said the people refused to be
aggregated into IDP camps and wait for government.
According to
him, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) give them support, but he stressed
that they had chosen to remain productive through farming.
He listed
the challenges facing them to include: lack of money to afford large farms,
farms inputs like fertiliser and agrochemicals, good road network and security
among others.
“We are all
IDPs displaced from our comfort zones and farming communities from the
North-East.
“We refused
to be beggars in our country. That is why we engaged in farming to improve our
livelihood.
“We would
have performed better than what is seen today if we get any support from the
government. Support like grants, loans and modern farming equipment to enable
us cultivate large hectares of land,’’ he said.
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