The Adamawa Government has commended the Federal Government for implementing the Ranching Pilot Project in the state.
Alhaji Umar Lamurde, the state Commissioner for Livestock and Aquaculture Development, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Monday.
Lamurde said the state government had allocated about 9,000 hectares of land to the Federal Government for the ranching project.
He said the development complemented the state government’s efforts to implement policies aimed at developing the livestock sector.
According to him, the state government had long adopted ranching as a strategy for addressing herder-farmer conflicts.
“Long before the Federal Government’s Ranching Pilot Project, the state government had embarked on the rehabilitation and demarcation of 69 grazing reserves across the state for ranching.
“The grazing reserves comprise 32 gazetted and 37 ungazetted reserves, alongside stock routes and dams,” he said.
Lamurde said the Federal Government’s flagship Model Pilot Ranch at the Gongoshi Grazing Reserve in Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area of the state was among the reserves allocated for the pilot project.
He said the ranch was established under the National Livestock Transformation Plan to demonstrate the transition from open grazing to modern ranching.
The commissioner added that the state government had established a State Livestock Transformation Office (SLTO) to work closely with the Federal Government.
Lamurde said the state had also developed a programme titled “Improving Livestock Productivity and Mitigation of Herder-Farmer Conflict through Effective Utilisation of Grazing Reserves”.
He said the programme was submitted to the Federal Government in May 2024 under a Natural Resource Fund grant application.
According to the commissioner, protecting grazing reserves has drastically reduced tensions between farmers and herders in the state.
He added that the state government had approved N5 billion to strengthen livestock value chains.
He said the initiative included upgrading and commencing the construction of 12 major livestock and grain markets, as well as rehabilitating eight international cattle markets across the state.
Lamurde said livestock production contributed almost 40 per cent of the state’s annual internally generated revenue (IGR).
He explained that the upgraded modern markets would be equipped with holding pens, water points, veterinary inspection units, loading ramps, drainage systems and improved access roads to enhance efficiency and safety in cattle trading.
He said the intervention was being implemented under the Adamawa Agribusiness Support Programme (ADAS-P) and managed by a newly established State Market Management Company.
According to him, the Mubi Livestock Market alone handles millions of animals annually, contributing over N29 billion to the state economy.
He added that the state government had rehabilitated the Yola Ultra-Modern Abattoir and was constructing modern veterinary hospitals, clinics and laboratories to improve animal health and safety.
Lamurde also said the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development had established a Strategic Artificial Insemination Excellence Centre at Adamawa State University, Mubi, operated by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) project.
He said that in January 2025, the state government supported 23,000 livestock farmers with essential inputs and equipment.
The commissioner further disclosed that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the state government, had commissioned six major livestock projects in Adamawa.
He listed the projects to include a 40-million-dose solar-powered animal vaccine cold-chain hub, an integrated waste management plant, a cattle resting point and the rehabilitation of the Gongoshi Grazing Reserve.
Lamurde said the state government had also hosted the maiden National Council on Livestock Development (NCLD) meeting in Yola as part of its efforts to attract investment and strengthen the livestock sector. (NAN)
