FG supports over 300 Taraba livestock farmers with posture seeds, others
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Saturday distributed millions of naira worth of relief materials to over 300 livestock farmers who were affected by the flood in Taraba in 2022.
Flagging off the exercise in Jalingo, the state capital, the Director, of the Department of Animal Husbandry Services, Mrs Winnie Lai-Solarin, explained that the federal government was mindful of the role of livestock farmers in the sustenance of the food security value chain in the country.
She said the ministry has provided the affected farmers with six hundred (600) bags of livestock pasture seeds for growing improved grass and 600 bags of nutrition cake to boost the quality and quantity of beef and dairy products from their farms.
According to her, with the concentration and encouragement of improved grass and production of proteinous cake for the animals, the ministry aimed at reducing the age-long conflicts between livestock and crop farmers to the bearest minimum.
“Gamba grass and ropogon seeds are simple to grow and good food supplement for animals that would, over time, reduce the frequency of movement of livestock from one area to another in search of pasture,” the Director said.
She reassured the farmers that government would continue to render support to them to continue to play their roles in the food security value chain.
In his goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Sale Pavali recalled that Taraba was among the states that experienced heavy flooding which destroyed not only crops but also various categories of livestock across many local government areas.
While appreciating the intervention of the federal government, Mr Pavali said the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security was considering an enhanced partnership with the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project to improve the state’s livestock sector.
Hajiya Aishatu Ardo, a beneficiary of the exercise who spoke on behalf of others, appreciated the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for its timely intervention and assured that the support would be properly utilized to improve the quality of livestock in their farms.
Aishatu who is also the Chief Executive of Ardo Yahya Global Ventures, as well as State Chairman of the Fulbe Development and Cultural Organisation (FUDECO) observed that with the government’s attention to the livestock sector, farmers would do well in improving their daily supplies of beef and dairy products for the Nigerian markets.
Our reporter reports that hundreds of affected livestock farmers from flood-prone local governments of the state benefited from the federal government’s gesture.
