By Yusuf Boluwatife
Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has said that the newly adopted Feedlots Operational System would eradicate the constant clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
Following the recent assent of the anti-open grazing bill into law, the state government had adopted the Feedlots Operational System, which is an intensive production system with the goal of growing and or fattening cattles until they reach slaughter weight, in place of open grazing in the State.
According to The PUNCH, Akeredolu stated this at the closing ceremony of a five-day training programme on the feedlots system, held in Akure, the state capital, over the weekend.
The programme was organised by the Ondo State Government in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization and no fewer than 150 Fulani herdsmen were trained on the new system in the programme.
The governor, who was represented by the State Head of Service, John Adeyemi, explained that the newly adopted system was a better way of rearing animals rather than moving cattle from one place to another, which he described as primitive and less profitable.
According to the governor, the future of the country depended on agriculture, hence the need for the participants to utilise the opportunities that abound in the entire value chain of agriculture.
“It is another milestone geared towards creating jobs, ensuring food security and promoting peaceful coexistence among inhabitants of the state via eradication of farmers/herders clashes.
“It is an indisputable fact that the culture of moving large herds of cattle from one part of the country to the other is archaic and has in recent years been enormously unbeneficial especially as it has become a threat to national security, cohesion and food security.
“The way forward, it is with sense of pride that I say my administration thought it expedient to revamp and reintroduce ranching with support and collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organisation,” he was quoted as saying.
