Nigeria’s Minister of Livestock, Mukhtar Maiha, has unveiled a business model designed to eliminate open grazing by creating a commercial market for grass and fodder that would keep herders in northern regions.
The minister speaking in an interview with Channels TV from 7:21 stated that entrepreneurs could harvest abundant grass in southern Nigeria and transport it to the north for sale to cattle owners. “There is so much grass and fodder in the southern part of this country where they go for ranching. Why can’t we come up with a business model that people can cut those grasses, bale them, and bring them up north to sell?” he suggested.
The minister emphasized the commercial potential of treating grass as a tradeable commodity. “It’s a commodity. People can deliberately go into pasture cultivation, cut those grasses, and bring them up for these people to buy,” he explained
Maiha drew comparisons to existing agricultural trade patterns between Nigeria’s regions. “Just like you take rice and beans and other foodstuffs from the northern part of Nigeria to the market basins in the southern part of this country. It’s a symbiotic relationship. So, this is the thinking that we need to change, and this is what we’re trying to address,” the minister said.
The livestock minister announced that the government has completed a comprehensive fodder balance analysis across the country to identify areas with surplus and deficit resources.
According to the minister, this data mining exercise is now being used to develop solutions for addressing migration issues related to the farmer-herder conflict.
The farmer-herder conflict, while having deep historical roots, has intensified in recent years due to growing tensions over land access and resource scarcity driven by climate change impacts.
Security experts report that approximately 1,043 people have died in Benue state alone over the past two years (2023-2025) as a direct result of this ongoing crisis….CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>
