FG releases N1bn grants to four states for pilot ranching
The Federal Government has released N1bn seed grant to Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa and Kaduna states for the development of pilot ranches in their domains as part of measures to halt clashes between herders and farmers.
It was learnt on Sunday that the fund was released after about 22 state governors indicated interest in developing ranches in their states.
The Senior Special Assistance to the President on Agriculture , Andrew Kwasari, who also coordinates the NLTP stated that state whose governors had written to the Federal Government include Kaduna Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Plateau, Zamfara, Kano, Ondo, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Gombe, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Ekiti, Kogi, Ebonyi and Kwara.
Following incessant clashes between farmers and herders, the Federal Government in 2018, came up with various ranching models including Ruga and NLTP, to settle nomadic herdsmen, who are mostly Fulani.
He also outlined the conditions that must must be met before funds would be released to other states that had shown interest in ranching.
Kwasari added, “This represents 80 per cent start-up fund for a pilot model ranch to be constructed for the training of pastoralist and crop farmer households within the grazing reserve and the state is expected to fund 20 per cent of the pilot”.
He explained that this percentage contribution was the major condition attached to the funding , adding that other conditions include the setting up of a State NLTP Company Limited at the State level.
“This is to facilitate the channeling of investments into the project. Of these fund, Nasarawa and Plateau have accessed a sum of N232,000,000 and work has commenced at the project sites.
He added, “As for the release of funds to the remaining states in Tiers 2 through 4, the degree of preparedness of the state teams is a major determinant for the for the initiation of funds release.
“PACE (Project for Agricultural Coordination and Planning) secretariat is working with the state teams to achieve required level of preparedness upon which the request for seed funding is based”.
