Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association says the price of cows may increase in Lagos if the anti-grazing bill is passed into law in the state. This was made known by the South-West Zonal Secretary of the association, Mai-Kudu Usman during a one-day public hearing organised by the state House of Assembly on the anti-open grazing bill on Wednesday.
During the public hearing, Usman appealed to the state government for assistance, noting that ranching is more expensive than open grazing. Usman, who agreed that there were some criminally-minded herders, argued that raising a cow in one location could increase the price of a cow to as much as N2 million.
He also pleaded with the government to subsidise the cost of raising the cattle in one location.
According to a statement made available by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House, Eromosele Ebhomele, Usman was quoted to have said that, “If cattle are bred in one place, the price could go up to about N2 million each. We agreed with some local chiefs in other states that anyone who wants to rear cows in a location should register and should indicate when he is leaving.
“A Fulani man moves from one place to another to ply his trade, but we have some bad eggs that are causing trouble. The government should allow us to talk to our people that they don’t want our cows to destroy people’s farmland.
“We have met with stakeholders in Ekiti, Ondo and even Oyo states and we reached agreements with them.”
Also, the Chairman of Lagos State Butchers Association of Lagos State, Alhaji Alabi Bamidele Kazeem, advocated for support to cattle breeders, arguing that “rearing animals in one location could be expensive”.
On his part, the President of the Lagos State Sheep Farmers Association, Alhaji Mustapha Ibrahim, described the bill as “all-embracing and would ensure a symbiotic relationship between cattle rearers and farmers”.
He also advocated for legislation to promote the creation of farm estates across the state.