The Federal government has commences the importation of fodders, for cattle.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, during the launching of a book, Standardization and Quality Regulation in Africa, written by Dr. Paul Angya.
Fodders are special animal foodstuff used to feed animals especially cattle, goat sheep among others, and are taken to them instead of allowing them to forage themselves.
The policy has come under serious criticism from Nigerians who said the country has far pressing matter than importing grass or animal feeds for cattle.
But the minister who said the process has begun added that such criticism was unfounded as it won’t deter the government from going ahead.
Rising in the defence of the policy, he said Nigeria grass was unsuitable to feed cattle, adding that the government was unhappy with unending farmers/Fulani herdsmen’s skirmishes.
According to Ogbeh, investigations have shown that majority of these herdsmen were not Nigerians. “They are from Senegal, Mali, Chad,” and the rest, the minister pointed out.
“As the desert encroaches, grasses are low in these places. So the herdsmen go in search of grasses.
“Those that have been arrested don’t speak English. Fulanis we know don’t have AK-47,” he averred.
He allayed fears of further crisis saying the government was ready to bring the crisis to an end.
