The Cattle Dealers Association, (CDAN) Delta State chapter, has turned down a proposed 5,000 sqm of grazing land that was provided in a new bill by the state House of Assembly.
The association which represents herders in the state, said that they want at least 30,000 square meters of land in every local government area of the state for livestock breeding and marketing public.
The Cattle dealers made the request during a hearing on ‘A Bill for a Law to provide for the Regulation of Livestock Breeding, Rearing and Marketing and to Prohibit Open Grazing and related matters in Delta State’ on Monday, July 26, 2021 organized by Delta state House of Assembly Joint Committee on Special Bills and Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Chairman of the association, Alhaji Musa Shuwa, in his memorandum, disclosed that the 5,000 square metres that was given to them as grazing areas contained in the draft bill was not enough, due to the facilities that are expected to be in place in the designated areas.
He said; “This (5,000 square metres) is only for the markets. Also, each market takes delivery of not less than 800 cattle every week. Our members hardly sell all their cattle at the market, hence the need to feed the cattle by grazing.
“With the intention of the draft of this bill being to ban open grazing, it is our respectful view that to have cattle within enclosed grazing (for the purpose of ranching) area would mean that a large space of area is needed for this purpose.
“While we acknowledge that the 5,000 square metres mentioned in Section 8(2a) is only the minimum, it is our modest view that even in the minimum, 5,000 square metres of land may not be the best starting point.”