The Central Bank of Nigeria through NIRSAL ( Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending) has launched an intensive feeding regimen aimed at fattening animals to attain a specific market weight prior to being sold.
This is the first step in expanding the potential of livestock business to ignite inclusive growth.
Flagging off the pilot scheme of the project for livestock farmers in Yola, Adamawa State, Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed, explained that the project had so far trained more than one hundred certified livestock farmers in feed finishing project in the state.
He was optimistic that the project would douse constant conflict between herdsmen and farmers.
Abdulhameed, said NIRSAL PLC was created by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Agriculture and the Bankers’ Committee.
He stated that Adamawa State was chosen as pilot because of its strategic status as a regional hub in livestock business with a large number of livestock farmers that are involved in fattening as a business and the strong commitment of the Adamawa State government towards growing and modernizing it.
He added that the project would create some synergy between herdsmen and farmers and reduce conflict between them.
In his remarks, Adamawa State Deputy Governor Martins Babale, thanked NIRSAL for choosing Adamawa State to flag off the pilot project.
Babale assured that the state government’s doors were open for meaningful developmental projects, stating further that the state was ever ready to render maximum support for successful implementation of the project.
He charged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the state.
The zonal Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in the North East Mafindi Umar who also participated in the training thanked the organisation for the gesture to expose his members to new technology in handling their cows.
He explained that those agitating for ranches across the country did not carry them along.
Some of the beneficiaries of the training admitted that the cattle rearers at the training were exposed to new techniques that would reduce farmers and herdsmen clashes.
Observers believe that the new techniques introduced by NIRSAL, when adopted, with time, would eradicate open grazing that has caused unceasing crisis between herdsmen and farmers.
