Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Minister of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, has said the government will make Gombe a model for livestock farming.
Nanono said this yesterday, during a visit to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya. He said Nigeria’s livestock was worth over N30 trillion and the value covers cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry, among others. He said livestock contributes about 17 percent to the country’s economy.
He said Gombe was chosen because of the availability of land to invest in livestock businesses. “We will do everything that is possible to ensure we create a conducive atmosphere for establishing a modern grazing reserve with all the needed facilities in Gombe,” said Nanono.
According to him, apart from livestock, there were several investment opportunities in agriculture which needed to be unlocked in Gombe. The minister urged governor Yahaya to strengthen farmers association to enable them benefit from the investment opportunities created by the Federal Government.
“There is a huge investment coming to the country and it affects all the states in the north. So, I want state governments to facilitate the investment; we need to have a more organised farming community,” Nanono said.
Governor Inuwa said about 23 grazing reserves with a total of about 238 thousand hectares of land existed in the state. He regretted that over the years, the livestock potential of the state were neglected and not properly utilised.
