FG Recieves Grass from Brazil as Grazing Bill Arrives National Assembly

According to news reports, the federal government has received grass being imported from Brazil to establish grazing reserves in the country as part of efforts to address recurrent clashes between cattle herdsmen and farmers.

The Guardian cites sources within the ministry of agriculture as indicating that the ministry had taken delivery of the required grass seeds even though it would take about 18 months for the grass to be ready for cattle to feed upon.

A source in the ministry explained that the grass seeds mature within a period of 8 to 12 weeks depending on the rainfall pattern in each ecological zone but there was the need to first establish that the seeds fit into various ecological zones, and also multiply the seeds so that government would not have to depend on importation.

Dr Eze Egeguru, Director of animal husbandry at the ministry, equally said the reason for importation of grass seeds was to source improved and early-maturing seeds that would boost cattle production in the country.

Contrary to repeated claims by the national assembly that there was no bill on national grazing routes before it, there appears to be a bill tagged the’ National Grazing Routes and Reserves Bill’ sponsored by Hon Sunday Karimi representing Yagba federal constituency of Kogi state at the federal house of representatives.

Karimi in a statement issued on Tuesday, in Abuja, attributed the public outcry against the bill to the “misunderstanding” of the content, adding that the fear being expressed was hasty and unnecessary “as many have not read the content to digest it.”

According to him, the bill does not prejudice the right of the state to establish and legislate on grazing reserves to be controlled by them or establish ranches and criminalise indiscriminate grazing. To the lawmaker, the bill will solve the problem of cattle rustling and herdsmen violence, among others.

Karimi further said that contrary to the fear expressed in many quarters that communities would lose their lands to herdsmen, the lands to be allocated for grazing would be managed by a grazing reserves commission with representatives in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, drawn from the land use allocation committee of each state and that of the FCT.

“The function and responsibilities of the representatives of the people in the parliament include making good laws for peace, order, good governance and unity of our diverse citizenry,” Karimi said.