CREATE SPECIAL CORRIDORS FOR HERDSMEN

(Daily Graphic, Jan 13, 2012, back page)

THE Northern Cereal Growers, Processors and Marketers Association has appealed to the government to create special corridors and entry points for use by Fulani herdsmen and their cattle.

The group, which comprises farmers and dealers of rice, maize, millet and other cereal crops, noted that such a move would help bring a stop to the current situation where the herdsmen operate haphazardly and dangerously, sometimes causing damage to farms, water bodies and other vegetated areas.

According to a press statement, signed by the Chairman of the association, Mr Abdul-Rahaman Alhassan, the group undertook a study to ascertain how the activities of Fulani herdsmen were impacting on the northern cereal industry.

The study, which was sponsored by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund, was aimed at forming the basis for an advocacy action to address the menace of Fulani herdsmen.

The research, as contained in the statement, found that the cereal industry served as a source of livelihood for over 60 per cent of farmers in the Northern Region and was dominated by males.

It revealed that over 50 per cent of the cereal farmers did not have any form of relationship with the herdsmen and most of them had experienced some form of destruction on their farms by animals shepherded by the herdsmen.

“However, 42 per cent of the livestock farmers and traders admitted that they have a cordial relationship with the Fulani herdsmen because they supply them with healthy and relatively cheaper animals,” the statement read.

The study also found that apart from failing to control their cattle from causing destruction to maize, rice, millet and guinea corn farms, the Fulani herdsmen also engage in cattle rustling, bush burning and illicit cutting of trees.

It said the herdsmen were also a threat to the environment because their animals engage in over-grazing and the compacting of lands leading to erosion.

According to the study, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and People hindered the strict enforcement of the immigration law because authorities tread cautiously when dealing with Fulani herdsmen.

It concluded that the Regional Security Council lacked the necessary personnel and logistics to regulate the influx of Fulani herdsmen who use unapproved routes to enter the country.

In addition to creating corridors, the group also suggested the establishment of camps to check the activities of Fulani herdsmen and the registration of Fulani herdsmen.