‘Farmers, herders clashes causing beef shortage’

In Plateau State, where more clashes were recorded, the main cattle market in the state otherwise known asKaramarket in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area,is virtually without animals to sell as most cattle dealers avoid the market due to fear of attack.Chairman of the Cattle Traders Association of the state, Alhaji Bala Muhammad, said clashes […]

In Plateau State, where more clashes were recorded, the main cattle market in the state otherwise known asKaramarket in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area,is virtually without animals to sell as most cattle dealers avoid the market due to fear of attack.
Chairman of the Cattle Traders Association of the state, Alhaji Bala Muhammad, said clashes between herders and farmers in the state are affecting the supply of cattle to the market, adding that whenever there is report of such clashes, the supply of cattle reduced drastically.  
“First, it affects the people where the crisis occurs and those living around the zone or whose route passes through the crisis area. For example, if there is crisis in Riyom local government, our colleagues from neighbouring Kaduna boycott our market for fear of being attacked on their way to the market. The problem is the same even within the state. If such clashes take place, the supply of cattle from the entire area declines. These situations lead to the rise in price of cows and you hear butchers complaining of losses because of the hike in price. If such clashes continue, there is likelihood of more serious cattle and meat shortage in the state,” he said.
The situation is the same in Kwara State whereAlhaji Idris Burti, Chairman, Cattle Dealers’ Association of the state said the clash between Fulani herdsmen and Yoruba at Alapa caused scarcity of meat and cattle in the markets in the state. He said 190 cattle were lost to the crisis that led to serious hike in the prices of cattle witha small cow which usually sold for between N50, 000 and N60,000 going for about N100,000.
But Alhaji Jibril Sulaiman, Chairman of Cattle Dealers Association, Yauri Local Government chapter in Kebbi State said cattle/meat shortage is usually witnessed during the migration of herdsmen to Yoruba land in the south-western part of Nigeria in search of green land. He said the shortage of cattle being experienced in the state is not therefore, unusual.
In Osun State, the Chairman of Cattle Dealers Association in Osogbo, Alhaji Sulaimon Adebimpe attributed the present cattle scarcity in the state to incessant fights between herdsmen and farmers in the northern part of the country, saying cattle merchants in the state have now resorted to importing cattle from neighbouring countries that include Mali, Niger and Burkina-Faso but complained that the imported cattle are very expensive.
In AnambraState, government, security agencies and community leaders have succeeded in resolving the crisis arising from clashes between cattle breeders and farmers over destruction of farmlands in parts of the state. The effort has restored normalcy at cattle markets in the state.
Leader of the Cattle Dealers Association in Anambra State, Giddadi Siddiki who confirmed that there is relative peace in the state between cattle breeders and farmers, said the last clash in the state occurred in January pointing out that several meetings have been held on the matter with the state Commissioner of Police, Director of State Security Service and representative of Anambra State government.
In Benue State, a major cattle dealer at the Lafia park cow market, Hassan Maigoro said the incessant clashes between herders and farmers in the state have affected the supply of meat in the markets, adding that most herders have deserted the state and the dealers could no longer supply enough cows to the retailers.
A cattle dealer in Taraba State, Malam Adamu also said the clashes between herdsmen and farmers would affect meat supply in the state and the nation at large if nothing is done to redress the situation.
He said most herdsmen that hitherto grazed on the Mambilla now take their cattle to Cameroon for grazing, thereby boosting the economy of that country at the detriment of Nigeria’s.
Secretary of the cattle dealers association in Katsina, Muhammad Abdullahi, said there is no beef shortage in KatsinaState because there is rarely any clash between herdsmen and farmers, adding, “there is rarely a problem between the two because there is an existing understanding. Usually herdsmen notify us before they come and we in turn inform the farmers. Moreover even if there are crops on these farms, it isn’t an issue because the pastoralists do not use such route. They pass through the by-pass. So you see why we do not have any kind of meat shortage,” he said.
In Gombe State, Secretary of Miyetti Allah Association, Alhaji Aliyu Abare, said the clash between herdsmen and farmers is causing meat and cattle shortage in the state because of the insecurity bedeviling the nation.
He said there is the need for governments to hasten the demarcation of grazing areas for cattle and provide adequate access to water and veterinary services to avoid encroachment into farmlands.
NorthCentral Zonal Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Hussaini Yusuf Boso,told our reporter in Minna, Niger State,that following herders/farmers frequent clashes in the region, over 70 percent of the herdershave migrated to the southern part of the country while others have fled to neighboring countries.
He said meat and dairy products have also recorded some reduction in supply in the last two years across the country, particularly in the northern part.
In Yobe State, Chairman of the state chapter of theCattle Dealers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Musa Mairago, said the clash between farmers and herders has affected both the production and price of cattle and beef in the state.
He said insecurity in the area and lack of grazing reserves have forced some herdsmen to flee the area which invariably has affect the availability of cattle in the area, adding, “the price of cornstalk and fodder is also getting too exorbitant that made so many breeders to stay off the business.”
The leader of cattle dealer in Lokoja, Sarkin Zongo Ahmed Bala, said the shortage of meat and cattle at the market is already having negative effect, saying, “meat of N1,500 is now being sold for N2,000 due to the decrease in the supply of cattle as a result of clashes.”
Consumers and marketers of meat and cattle in Zamfara State have both lamented  the hike in the prices of meat and cattle in the markets caused by the incessant cases of farmers/herders crises and cattle rustling.
Chairman ofthe Cattle Dealers Association in Zamfara State, Alhaji Aminu Garba Gusau, said the price of cattle has gone up and is affecting the price of beef in the market.