Benue willing to participate in Livestock Transformation Plan – Commissioner

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Benue State, Dr. Timothy Ajir, has said they are ready to participate in the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) of the Federal Government. He also spoke on plans to improve farming and increase productivity, as well as better the lives of farmers. He spoke with our correspondent […]

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Benue State, Dr. Timothy Ajir, has said they are ready to participate in the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) of the Federal Government. He also spoke on plans to improve farming and increase productivity, as well as better the lives of farmers. He spoke with our correspondent in Makurdi, the state capital.

 

You assumed office six months ago, how have you tackled the challenges of agriculture in Benue State?

I am still trying to acquaint myself with the issues around the ministry. But I have already started work. I am yet to do some field visitation to see what we have outside the state capital.

We have been working very hard to tackle the issues we have on ground. When I came in, the issue of farmers/herders clashes was ongoing. That has always been a problem in our state. We have tried our best to settle some of those issues; hence at the moment, we don’t have as much problems as we had in the past. To a great extent, it is thanks to the anti open grazing law in the state, which was passed in 2017. The implementation of that law has helped us in reducing the incidents of farmers/herders.

We were able to successfully carry out programmes to help farmers with inputs, seeds, herbicides, fertilizers and so on. Despite the excess rains we had in some areas, farmers are expecting bumper harvest. We are already seeing that in rice and other crops. We thank God for that.

We also have challenges with staffing. We are understaffed in the ministry, as far as I can see. We don’t have enough extension staff to help farmers with knowledge and current innovations. We are looking at ways to resolve some of those challenges. These are few of the areas we have been working to improve farm productivity in Benue State and retain our position as the Food Basket of the Nation.

To what extent did the recent flood affect rice harvest in Benue?

We haven’t brought in all the results yet, but the fact that we had good rain is an added advantage to rice farmers. You know that rice needs a lot of water. There are some varieties of rice that even thrive best when they are flooded.  However, some of them would have problems if they were submerged. Even though some people haven’t finished harvesting their rice, we are seeing that the yield is not too badly affected. The areas that were washed away, or where the water came too early before the rice could grow seed are the places that may have some issues with yield. But those that had already sprung up with seeds may not have any problem. The final result will be out when the harvest results are in, but the results I’ve seen so far are encouraging.

Following the present border closure, do you think Benue can still meet the food needs of the North-Central and Nigeria as a whole?

Benue State has the potential to feed the whole country if we increase our agricultural production. We have a lot of lands that are yet to be cultivated.

I actually applaud Federal Government’s policy on border closure because it has encouraged farmers to grow more crops. It has blocked all the entry points for smuggled and sometimes inferior agricultural produce that come through our porous borders. Farmers are encouraged to grow more because they are now getting better value for their efforts.

In the short term, it may seem like inflation, but in the long term, it is an encouragement to our farmers to increase their productivity. More people will also be encouraged to go into farming as business because they can see good income from it.

I think the border closure policy should be encouraged. It will also encourage government and the private sector to open up more lands for agriculture in the future.

Many people have been clamouring for the borders to be opened; are you implying that they should remain closed?

Yes, it should remain closed for now. It is true that no nation can survive as an island, but economic policies are meant to benefit the country and we need to encourage them. For now, it would be better that the borders remain closed until we are able to sort out some of those leakages and have control of what is coming in and going out of the country.

Is the Benue State Government encouraging all categories of farmers to increase their yields?

The state has intervened through the assistance of other agencies that are supporting our agricultural programmes and policies in many areas. We have intervened in the provision of inputs. Also, this concept of value chain development is a new concept that is encouraging our farmers to grow more crops. It is encouraging to them to see that they would be able to sell whatever they produce. The price stability they get for their own crop is also a good encouragement.

We are not just allowing farmers to keep leftover crops from their previous year harvest as seeds, we are helping them to get quality seeds for rice, soybean, corn and others, including new crops that were not common, like watermelon and cowpeas.

We are also helping them to get fertilisers and herbicides at subsidized rates so that they would be able to afford inputs. This is helping them to make profit from farming activities. We want agriculture to become good business for them.

How do you think the National Livestock Transformation Plan would benefit Benue State?

There have been a lot of misconceptions and misunderstanding about the National Livestock Transformation Plan. Many people confuse it with Ruga or grazing routes/reserves. Our state has looked at the NLTP and asked questions about its mode of operation, and we are convinced that it is a programme we need to key into.

Our governor has approved that Benue State should participate in the plan, He has written personally to the vice president, who is the chairman of the National Economic Council, to confirm that the Benue State Government is willing and have decided to participate. Recently, members of the team from the national office of the NLTP were here on a sensitisation programme with different stakeholders to explain the mode of operation of the programme and how Benue State stands to benefit.

Our stakeholders also agreed to participate in the programme. We have formed various steering committees to work out strategies on how we can key into this programme, which is being supported and funded by the Federal Government and some donor agencies to develop livestock in the country, including Benue State.

One good thing about the programme is that it is not going to take lands away from Benue State and give to any foreigner. That is one thing our people were very concerned about. It is for the development of livestock by Benue people for the benefit of Benue State. We have been allowed to domesticate the NLTP according to our own needs and the livestock we have in the state.

We are focusing on animals like pigs, sheep, goats and cattle. We rejected Ruga, cattle colonies and other unacceptable programmes, but we have accepted the NLTP.