Taiwo Hassan 
As the Professor Attahiru Jega’s Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee submits its report to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the revitalisation of the sector, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has urged the government to speed up its implementation.
This farmer group said this had become urgent as cost of eating healthy diet in the country had become very high in recent months amid reports of headline inflation and crop harvesting.
The National President of AFAN, Architect Kabir Ibrahim, in a chat with New Telegraph, stated that the livestock sector was quite crucial to fighting against elevated food inflation in the country.
Specifically, the AFAN national president urged the government to implement key policies and recommendations that will increase livestock and aquaculture productivity in the country.
Ibrahim explained that the cost of putting food on the table for many still tells of a woeful experience for Nigerians, considering the challenges farmers and herders face, including farm encroachment, crop destruction, lack of grazing routes, killing of animals, etc that have made many farmers abandon their farmlands.
The AFAN national president noted that government needed to prioritise addressing the insecurity bedeviling the country and strategically focus on increasing national agricultural productivity, adding that the farmers’ association specifically recommend that the government incentivise sub-nationals, particularly at the grassroots levels, to increase funding and investment in the agriculture sector to boost productivity.
While speaking on areas of more livestock businesses, the renowned agro allied expert pointed out that government could also consider modernising the livestock business model to include more ranches with supported facilities, as this can attract more youths into livestock business.
Ibrahim said: “AFAN commends Professor Attahiru Jega’s Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee for the submission of its report to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The livestock, fisheries, and poultry agribusiness sector is quite crucial to our fight against elevated food inflation in Nigeria. “A report on the cost of healthy diet in Nigeria said it had worsened in recent months despite the report of abating headline inflation.
“The cost of putting food on our table still tells of a woeful experience for Nigerians. “Considering the challenges farmers and herders face, including farm encroachment, crop destruction, lack of grazing routes, killing of animals, etc..
AFAN wishes to advise the government to exercise some caution and understanding in considering the recommendations of the Committee on the co-existence of open grazing and ranching towards having an optimal solution to the farmers-herders crisis.”
He continued: “We urge the government to prioritise addressing the insecurity bedeviling the country and strategically focus on increasing national agricultural productivity.
“We specifically recommend that the government incentivise sub-national governments, particularly at the grassroots levels, to increase funding and investment in the agriculture sector to boost productivity.
“Similarly, in areas with more livestock businesses, the government can also con -sider modernising the livestock business model to include more ranches with supported facilities.
This can attract more youth to livestock business.” Speaking further, Ibrahim stressed: “We also recommend that the Central Bank of Nigeria incentivise banks to allocate more credit to agriculture and agro-processing to improve the sector’s private investment and productivity growth.”
However, he said: “We commend Prof. Attairu Jega’s Presidential Livestock Development Committee on submitting its report and urge the government to implement key policies and recommendations that will increase livestock and aquaculture productivity in the country.”
