INCESSANT GRAZING OF CATTLE ON FARMLAND AND INDISCRIMINATE BURNING BY CATTLE REARERS.

	20TH January, 2012

 

The Transition Chairman,

Ovia North-east Local Government Area,

Okada.

Sir,

INCESSANT GRAZING OF CATTLE ON FARMLAND AND INDISCRIMINATE BURNING BY CATTLE REARERS.

We wish to intimate you of the problems our farmer as a result of cattle rearers taking their herds to graze on our farm lands. As a result of this, these animals have destroyed various produce of our affiliate farmers. Among the crops destroyed are cassava, yam and plantain. And as you know, these are these are the main crops our farmers depend on for their livelihood. The continuous destruction of these crops by the animals has brought untold hardship to the farmers which in turn, results to poverty. Most painful is that most of these farmers uses loan to develop their farms. Repayment will pose a problem if the trend is not stopped.

            Secondly, the cattle rearers at the peak of dry season burn the bushes indiscriminately with a view to stimulate new and succulent grass to feed their animal. This fire escalates by harmattan wind to destroy crop and forest resources. This indiscriminate bush burning according to research, have multidimensional effect on the farms, forest land and the nation at large. Such that farmers life time investment on farm can be destroyed by fire without compensation. forest resources that are also destroyed expose soil to leaching and erosion.

            Efforts to address this issue with the cattle rearers have not yielded the desired result as most of them turn out to be aggressive and some time, ready to attack the farmers either with dagger or guns. We have proof to this fact.

Against this background we humbly request the chairman to as matter of urgency, call the cattle rearers to order and to ask them to remove their cattle from our farm lands to avoid breakdown of peace and order and to be made to pay compensation for crops destroyed. They should also be made to guarantee the Farmers Union in Ovia North East that henceforth, they will stop indiscriminate bush burning as this have caused great loss to farmers.

            It is our hope that your intervention will help to put an end to this menace of the cattle rearers.

Thanks for your anticipated co-operation.