The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Friday gave an assurance that the Federal Government would soon find a lasting solution to the crisis between farmers and herdsmen.
He said this during a media briefing on a conference to be held next week to discuss the recurring clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
The conference will enable the Food and Agricultural Organisation to meet with both the federal and state governments to brainstorm on how the crisis could be effectively resolved.
Ogbeh said the conference would enable the government to address key concerns in the areas of access to land and land tenure security; infrastructure; inputs and management strategies.
Others are access to finance and market for farmers as well as market for livestock and livestock products.
The minister stated, “We understand very well that the issue of pastoralist/farmers’ clash goes beyond a Nigeria issue. Other nation’s like Ghana, Togo and Benin also suffer from a similar issue.
“We are not just solving a national issue; we are solving a regional and global issue. Whatever solution we get here, we will also link up with our neighbours in West and Central Africa to ensure a lasting solution.”
He also expressed concern that the livestock sub-sector had not been fully explored in terms of supplying the animal needs of Nigerians, poverty alleviation, revenue generation and foreign exchange for the country.
“The livestock sub-sector is bedevilled by many constraints, which include low productive breeds of livestock, income loss due to pests and diseases,” he added.