SUGGESTIONS TO THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE

Eyes on Cow Rearing Revolution in Nigeria Estimates of the worth of the cow rearing industry are not readily available but the industry is believed to be worth at least 50 billion Naira. Though it is worth so much yet it has little to show by way of modernization, For example, its method of feeding the cows have remained the same for nearly 300 years now! That is not all the tradition has also not changed as regard adjustment to accommodate improved variety of cows that are readily available. The improved cow variety has among others, a shorter turn out time for maturity, better meat production as well as better milk production and higher disease resistance. Even where the farmers are aware of all these they are quite weary of the cost implication and how to bond the improved variety with the traditional stock. My recommendations: The government through the ministry of agriculture should buy off all traditional cows from the farmers and for each cow bought off two free improved cow variety should be given to the farmer. However, before this is done the ministry of agriculture must come up with a robust plan to resettle the cow farmers for one obvious reason, while the traditional cow are used to trekking several hundreds of kilometres grazing; the improved varieties are defiantly not cut out for this. My recommendation is that the ministry of agriculture should in the states that have the comparative advantage in cow production especially in the North of the country acquire several hundreds of hectares of land. The acquired piece of land is to be properly demarcated for allocation to each major cow farmer. Either a bore hole is provided for each segment or a major bore hole is provided to supply constant water for each of the segment. The water supplied by the bore hole should be adequate enough to irrigate a section of each segment not to grow crops but to produce grass supplements for the cattle. Though the major source of food for the cattle; would come mainly from chaff from crushed palm kernel mixed with other supplements or just the chaff alone. This food source should be provided free by the ministry of agriculture for appropriate length of time for farmers to adjust and get used to this new source of food. If this is not provided free; it would be very difficult to convince the cow farmers to stay in one place and bear cost of feeding the cows when they could easily use their traditional move-around method to feed their cows at no cost! So the free provision of cow feed is very vital to make this exercise to succeed among others. Apart from this the experts from the ministry of agriculture should include all standard facilities in each of the cattle ranch in line with international standard. Facilities are to be included to support primary and secondary school for thousands of ranch workers, wards and members of house hold of the ranchers. These clusters of cattle ranches prepared by the ministry of agriculture are to be give out to major cattle herders with at least five to ten years moratorium before repayment of the acquisition and improvement amounts begins. It is also expected that at least five years tax moratorium should e give to the major cattle ranchers just like it was give to GSM operators in Nigeria. Furthermore why cattle dealers move around a lot is because they want to reach their customers directly reducing cost inflations by middlemen, so the federal ministry of agriculture must liaise with state ministries of agriculture especially in the South of the country for some lands to be mapped out for cattle ranchers and prepared like the ranches in the North though much smaller in size to enable the cattle dealers to maintain some limited stocks to satisfy urgent needs of their local customers and abattoir. Result: Ø Cattle farmers would have moved away from the strenuous and risky traditional means of cattle rearing and put to an end the old age nomadic life style and all the challenges associated with such a life style. Ø Better and substantial increment in meat, hide and milk supply among others. Ø Bring to an all time end the challenges associated with the education of children, ward and workers of the traditional nomadic life style. Ø Both cattle dealers and government would earn a substantially increased amount as well as heavier contribution to the nation’s GDP in addition to several thousands of jobs or even hundreds of thousands of jobs that would be created where it is expected that the government would also position allied industries close to the several ranches as well as value added industries. Ø With this successfully implemented the government would have indirectly solved the needless waste of lives of Nigerians as a result of several clashes between the nomads and indigenes and also reduce the number of illegal weapons circulating throughout the nation as it is not news that herdsmen equip themselves with AK 47 rifles while herding their cattle and whenever they felt the need to defend themselves the AK 47 speaks but the question is what other things the AK 47 is used to do when the herdsmen are not having any treat from anyone? Probably the guns are hired out to robbers, and kidnappers at a fee! What is more most probably the cattle herds men may be one of the means that small arms are being distributed throughout the West African sub region considering the way the operate. If arms are strapped under the stomach of cattle in a group of 2000 cattle who would see them since most of the time the cattle herders pass through the forests and occasionally cross the roads for a brief moments! Ø This will also save thousands of tons of economic crops lost to cow grazing each year. Honorable Minister, sir I am sure you are concerned about the substantial outlay this and all other revolutionary measures would cost but I encourage you to consider this as a deserved investment on our farmers otherwise our citizens. Furthermore I encourage you sir to look at the end results of the investment; the face of agriculture in our land would have changed for all time and the result is greater agric contribution to the nation’s GDP perhaps several time what crude oil could ever do. In addition to these; several millions of jobs would be provided by agriculture directly as well as the several millions that would be created as a result of employments occasioned by establishment of several allied industries, bank branches, insurance branches private hospitals, transportation industry etc. In summary a robust economy that would trigger the much awaited industrial revolution in our country!