Kano to create grazing reserve for 5 million cows
- Grazing reserves will be created for five million cattle by the Kano state government, the commissioner of agriculture and natural resources said
- The reserve will accommodate the herdsmen in the state and the livestock
-According to him, the modern grazing reserve would gulp about $30 million (N1.08 billion) to develop
The Kano state government says the proposed grazing reserve in Falgore Game Reserve has the capacity to cater for over five million cows.
Commissioner for agriculture and natural resources in the state, Yusuf Gawuna, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano.
Gawuna said the reserve would accommodate herdsmen and their cattle thereby discouraging them from moving to other states in search of pasture.
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According to Wikipedia, Falgore Game Reserve lies in the northern Guinea Savanna Ecological Belt, adding that the ecosystem is bisected by River Kano.
Falgore started as Kogin Kano Forest Reserve, which was developed during the colonial period in the 1940’s. The reserve was upgraded into a game reserve in the 1960’s.
The commissioner said: ‘‘Falgore Game Reserve can take care of millions of herdsmen and their cattle.
‘‘The location has been designed to accommodate markets, recreational centres, ultra-modern abattoirs, tourism centres and factories that would make herdsmen transact business without hindrance."
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The commissioner disclosed that the state government had engaged the services of a consultant and that a document had been submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to convert the forest into a grazing reserve.
He said from the assessment of the consultant, the modern grazing reserve would gulp about $30 million (N1.08 billion) to develop.
‘‘The place is too big, we are in talks with private organisations that are coming in to invest and see how we can develop the forest.
We are also in talks with professional partners from South Africa for Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. They will also assess the forest and submit their report to the governor," Gawuna said.
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He said the modern grazing reserve would generate revenue to the state and create job opportunities for the people of the area.
He added that a committee on farmers/herdsmen clashes, under his chairmanship, sat every month with traditional rulers, security agents, heads of agriculture departments and other relevant stakeholders to ensure peaceful co-existence.
The commissioner urged farmers and herdsmen in the state to always resolve grievances through dialogue.
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Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigeria Police Force has said it cannot arrest herdsmen who allow their cattle to stray onto and graze on airport runways in the country.
The commissioner of police, at the airport command, Mustapha Dandaura, said herdsmen could only be arrested in states where the anti-open grazing law was effective.
He also said that all police officers and other security officials at the airports had been instructed to stay on high alert to prevent a situation whereby cows would take over airport runways.
Nigerian herdsmen vs Nigerian farmers - on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
