The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has praised the Federal Government for the proposed livestock plan, saying that it would boost business and go a long way in ending herders/farmers clashes. Chairman of the Association, Lagos state chapter, Otunba Femi Oke, conveyed this information to AgroNigeria in a phone-in interview. Oke said that the present administration has shown that it is a listening government and that the proposed plan is a proof of that.
According to Oke, “This livestock plan will go a long way in curbing clashes between farmers and herders and will provide more value to business people along the value chain.”
He said that although the plan might not involve goat and sheep herders immediately, but as time goes on there will always be room for growth and expansion.
“It is certain that this plan might not encompass both goat and sheep herders, but patience is the keyword. Goat and sheep herders have to be patient with the government as cattle herding is the most tenacious problem now and it needs to be settled.
“This was the case during the outbreak of bird flu. When the government was sharing vaccine, they started with birds but didn’t stop there, they moved on to pigs also. This can be the case with the livestock plan.”He said
The National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) is a livestock scheme approved by the National Executive Council (NEC) to curb clashes between farmers and herders and to boost the economic value of cattle rearing.
The NLTP is said to be put in place with a whooping N90billion and is expected to improve the annual livestock revenue to N8.16 trillion which is 2.56 times better than its current N2.9 trillion annual contribution to the GDP.
