Plateau is for “Ranching Pilot Scheme,” Govt. insists
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The Plateau State Peace Building Agency says the State has opted for “ranching pilot scheme” in keying into the National Livestock Transformation Plan of the Federal Government.
The NLTP is a “broad national framework” with different components for states to adopt, Mr. Joseph Lengman, the Director General of the Peace Agency said, Wednesday.
After wide consultations, Plateau according to him has chosen Ranching which best suits its peculiarities.
“Based on our own peculiarities, we have found ranching to be most suitable but even at that, it is just a pilot scheme and that’s why government is using an existing Grazing Reserve – a Federal gazetted land in Kanam and Wase Local Government Areas for the pilot project,” said Mr. Lengmang at the July 2019 monthly Peace Architectural Dialogue of the PPBA.
The National Livestock Transformation Plan has been designed to accommodate all livestock farmers, the Plateau State Focal Person of the Social Investment Program, Dr. Sumayya Hamza said at the forum.
“Within the ranches, there are diary farms, feedlots and all kinds of livestock rearing structures for different farming activities including piggery,” she said.
Government according to her has carried out enumeration of all farmers and livestock within the pilot locations to make for easy planning and implementation of the project.
The project in the words of Prof. John Wade, the State Director General, Research and Statistics and Secretary, Ranching Committee was thought out of Government’s desire to provide security and grow the Nigerian economy through livestock production.
“Government realizes the need to protect lives and property and came up with this program to check incessant conflicts between farmers and herders, as well as leverage agriculture as a catalyst for national development,” he said.
The July monthly Peace Architectural Dialogue of the PPBA centered on “The National Livestock Transformation Plan: Insight and Prospects” involving Journalists and Civil Society groups.
It aimed to create public awareness on the NLTP using the networks and influence of the media and Civil Societies.
