Greenlands Integrated Agribusinesses Group to invest $26.45n in Nigerian cattle sector

PLANS to address Nigeria's ongoing Fulani herdsmen crisis commercially is currently underway after Greenlands Integrated Agribusinesses Group announced that it is processing financing of about N11bn ($26.45n) for investment in the sector.

Over recent years, Fulani cattle herdsmen have turned Nigeria into a war zone as their livestock destroy farms and when farmers complain, their attack their communities with AK47 assault rifles. Under pressure to rein in the herdsmen by compelling them to open ranches, the federal government came up with the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP).

Under the NLTP, states will offer land to herdsmen so they can open cattle colonies but this does not address the problem of them coming with their AK47 assault rifles. Ayobami Aremu, the covener of the Greenlands Integrated Agribusinesses Group, said his firm is currently processing about N11bn  for an alliance in the cattle value chain project across Nigeria.

Speaking  at the official signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the National Association of Cattle Dealers, Processors and Marketers of Nigeria and Comprehensive Agric Limited, which he said is being financed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through Sun Trust Bank Nigeria, Mr Aremu said that feed lots and fattening houses are located and established in Kogi and Niger states under the scheme. He added that Nigeria has been in a dark space when it comes to cattle, saying he founded Greenland Consults about nine years ago after he returned from the UK.

Mr Aremu said: “What propelled my return was to ensure that what we see done over there is replicated here. Feedlots have been set up in Kogi and Niger states and cattle rearers are already supplying cattle there.

 “They are going to be doing 1,000  cattle heads per week and then will later move to 40,000 in the future. Nobody seems to understand it and it’s not rocket science. They’re just animals that need to be fed, slaughtered and sold, that’s all. We have to aggregate all the challenges, problems and look at what singular thing can bring all of this together.”

Aliasu Bullak, the president of the National Association of Cattle Rearers and Producers, said  that the body is looking at a farmer having three cows each and  looking at about 7,000 farmers. He added: "If you calculate it, it will give you about 21, 000 cows. We’ll have the capacity to supply them with what we have said and we’ll still have more on ground.

Detoun Abbi-Olaniyan of Sun Trust Bank added: "The reason is not far-fetched as there’s demand to eat healthy meat and there’s demand for other value chain in cattle. We’re going back to the field to do an enumeration of each cattle reared, how many cattle they have, how many cattle we need to take off with and then we’ll now begin to put numbers.

“What usually happens is that you’ll put numbers, go to the field and then find out it’s not working and the project becomes stagnant. However, in this case we’re taking it one step at a time to get to that place where if we put a figure of, say, N10bn to it, it’ll be more than enough."