Some cattle feeding on grass in a fodder bank
By Mudasiru Abdul Yakeen, Afram Plains
To end the perennial clash between cattle herdsmen and residents of Kwahu, in the Eastern Region, government is planning to expand the completed cattle ranch at Wawase in the Afram Plains South District, the Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour, has revealed.
According to the Minister, the chiefs in the area are willing to give out their lands for the creation of the fodder banks.
The Minister sees the creation of the fodder bank by the government as a step in the right direction and the best scientifically approved way of rearing cattle.
Mr Darfour, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw, was speaking to the Daily Statesman last Friday when he paid a working visit to the Afram Plains.
Agriculture development
He indicated that government has shown genuine concern when it comes to the activities of the herdsmen, by accepting the fact that rearing of cattle has come to stay. He added that the occupation of the herdsmen contributes to development of agriculture in the country.
“Government accepts the fact that we can’t ban cattle rearing, but we can modify it and make it problem-free for all of us, because, due to our farming system here, we can’t encourage them(cattlemen) to continue with the free-range system. However, we advice them to use the fodder bank created by the government to ensure that there’s peace in the community,” he said.
No more Fulani attacks
The District Chief Executive for Afram Plains North, Samuel Kena, said the frequent infractions by Fulani herdsmen and crop farmers have become a thing of the past since the creation of the fodder bank by the government.
He said government is currently working on two more fodder banks to give more room for the cattlemen to operate.
