The National Association of Cattle Dealer Processors and Marketers of Nigeria (NACDPAMN), has advocated for the adoption of modern cattle ranching in the country as a panacea to curbing clashes between herders and farmers.
The national chairman of the association, Alhaji Iliyasu Bulama who made this known in an exclusive interview with our reporter on Sunday said the association is putting modalities on the ground to make cattle rearers embrace the system for profitability and safety.
Alhaji Bulama who said the association comprises of cattle dealers, cattle processors, and cattle marketers, revealed that they want to introduce the ranching form of rearing cows instead of the Fulanis to be moving around, having clashes between them and the farmers in some parts of the country that have banned open grazing.
He said with the modern ranching, the Fulanis do not have to move around, adding that, being in one place, they would be able to produce even more than what they used to produce.
He said that the era of old system of cattle rearing has gone, hence the need for cattle owners to embrace the modern method which according to him is more profitable and safer.
“By use of the modern method of cattle rearing, they will be able to produce more than they used to produce before. The old method of rearing, going with cows here and there is even making the cows not to produce as expected because the cow need to rest to grow well”, Bulama explained.
“The old method affects the growth of the cow. So we want to introduce this modern ranching so that the people will now adopt it, which will allow the children who don’t go to school because of rearing the cattle to now go to school”, he stressed.
Bulama opined that: “if the majority of the children get educated, all these things you are hearing about bandits will be drastically reduced because they will become engaged in school, they will be engaged in the business”.
He said although the old system is a tradition, Bulama noted that life is flexible and as such, people have to follow it the way it changes in order to succeed.
“Time is changing, so they have to also adopt the changes, we are going to convince them with data that the new system is not difficult, they will have their land, grow their grasses during the dry season, during the rainy season they have the grasses available, in the farm, they will have their borehole. So by being in one place, it will be easy for the government to come and see their needs and address them”, he said.
He further said: “I know many people will say it will be hard to make the Fulanis understand the modern way of rearing the cattle, it’s not hard, because even them they don’t want to be moving around, they do suffer a lot because they don’t have that idea, so it will help a lot when you bring that idea because the government will now support those who wanted to stay in one place and it will be better for them and the country”.
Bulama said that the organization is aimed at improving the cattle value chain in Nigeria with an intention to start exporting some of the cattle products, especially the Kilishi, milk, among others needed for domestic, industrial and medical usage.
According to him, the association intends to also train students from the school before they graduate to learn the cattle business as a job.
“If they learn the business right from the school period, the process of fattening the cow, the marketing process and the processing of the meat, they will be able to learn the work and make money and even pay their school fee”, he said.
Bulama said, “by engaging in the business already, they will not bother to wait for any white-collar job, as they are already engaged and are making money”.
He said the target of his association is to ensure that the advocacy is carried out right from the federal level down to the local level, adding that the association intends to identify the cattle markets and the amateurs across the country with a view to having the data of people involved in the cattle business and assist them when necessary.
He said the national youth leader, Alhaji Umar Buba Misau, national assistant financial Secretary, Mr Gideon Bawa, national assistant auditor, Alhaji Adamu Gatari and the Bauchi state Chapter chairman of the association, Alhaji Murtala Kawu were recently sworn-in in Abuja.
