The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Devlopment, Audu Ogbeh, has said that the incessant clashes between farmers and cattle herdsmen in the country would be brought to an end in the next two years.

Mr. Ogbeh said on Tuesday that the federal government would create grazing areas in the country where the herdsmen would take care of their cattle.

“We will grow grass in the South to feed the cattle in the North, just as Saudi Arabia did,” he said.

According to the minister, if Saudi Arabia with the largest cattle ranch in the world can grow its grass for the cows in the United States of America, Nigeria should be able to do same.

Mr. Ogbeh said the government would lobby banks to peg interest rate at five per cent instead of the current nine per cent.

He made this known in Ilorin at the launching of the 2nd phase of Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE) programme at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanism, (NCAM).

The minister said nine per cent was too high as interest rate for farmers, adding that for people of Nigeria to feed well, agriculture must grow.

Credit: PremiumTimes