President Muhammadu Buhari, has assured that the establishment of dairy farming as being promoted by the Kingdom of Denmark
will save the country from the almost perennial problem of clashes between herders and farmers which is made worse by population explosion.
According to President Buhari, who made the disclosure during a farewell visit to the outgoing Danish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Torben Gettermann, said when the dairy farms are economically viable, the cattle herders will see the need to stay in one place, as they will realize that productive considerations, rather than the number of heads of cattle, are more important.”
Buhari made the remark in a statement signed by Mr. Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said such initiative on dairy farming being championed by the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kaduna State government would go a long way in curbing clashes between cattle herders and farmers in the country.
Gettermann, while corroborating Buhari, said introducing dairy will bring lasting solution to the lingering clashes between farmers and herders in the country.
According to him, the plan was to have 1,000 families of herdsmen with 12,000 heads of cattle in a location, where they will have veterinary attention, schools for their children, and generally live as a small community. A Danish company, Arla, will then buy the milk off the cattle farmers, he said.
He said: “The Danish government will bring investors through its Agriculture Counsellor in the country, while the Kaduna State government will provide initial infrastructure and funding.
“Dairy farming is not exactly the same thing as ranching. It will yield better meat, and the Danish company will buy the milk from the farmers.
A pilot project will start in Kaduna, and then move to other locations, as it becomes commercially viable,” the Ambassador, who spent four years in Nigeria, said.