By Cynthia Alo & Kafayat Kokumo
The former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Michael Aondoakaa, has urged the Federal Government to rethink its approach to ranching, arguing that the initiative should be driven by the private sector rather than government.
Aondoakaa, who spoke during an interview on ARISE TV on Monday, said the government should focus on creating an enabling environment for ranching by improving cattle breeds, providing infrastructure and ensuring access to affordable financing, while allowing private investors to establish and operate ranches.
He said government could adopt a model similar to its approach to the poultry and rice sectors, where it creates the necessary conditions for private-sector participation.
“My understanding is that ranching should be done in a way the right value chain was created. Government establish a brand and allowed the individual to go approach it and establish,” he said.
Aondoakaa said improving cattle breeds should be a priority, arguing that crossbreeding could increase milk production and make ranching more commercially viable.
“First, let us crossbreed the cattle that we have now so that they can have genetically modified breeds that can give sufficient milk for commercial trading,” he said.
He also called for access to loans at single-digit interest rates for livestock farmers, similar to financing models adopted in the agricultural sector.
According to him, affordable financing would enable livestock farmers to establish viable ranches and repay the loans from proceeds generated from their businesses.
The former AGF questioned the rationale behind the government directly establishing ranches for private livestock owners, asking whether the Federal Government would similarly establish cocoa farms for farmers in the South-West or yam farms for farmers in Benue State.
He warned that a government-driven ranching programme could heighten existing tensions in communities where relations between farmers and herders were already strained.
“It’s a welcome policy but it should be private-sector driven, not public-sector driven,” he said.
Aondoakaa argued that private-sector participation could also create mutually beneficial relationships between ranch owners and crop farmers.
He explained that farmers could cultivate specialised grass and other feed for cattle, while ranch owners would provide a ready market for the produce.
Such an arrangement, he said, could promote economic cooperation between farmers and livestock owners while reducing suspicion and tension in host communities.
He expressed concern that direct government involvement in ranching could fuel fears among communities over the motive behind the acquisition or use of land.
The former AGF maintained that private-sector-driven ranching would create a “win-win situation” for farmers and livestock owners, while contributing to the reduction of farmer-herder conflicts.
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