The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) has said that a cow could cost up to N2 million in Lagos State if the anti-grazing bill is passed into law by the state House of Assembly.
The Zonal Secretary of MACBAN, South West, Maikudi Usman presented the argument on Wednesday during a one-day public hearing organised by the Assembly on the anti-open grazing bill.
According to him, “Our breeders are not used to breeding cattle in one place. They move from here to another place. When we say we will keep cattle in one place, the owner of the cattle will not have funds to feed the animals in one place.
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“They have already depended on going from one place to another because in the rainy season time, we have where we settle down, and we also have for the dry season.
“We are pleading with the Lagos State government to give us more time to go tell our people and train them how they will be breeding cattle in one place and not encroach on farmers’ land,” he said.
He noted the increase in the price of cows would be due to the cost of breeding in one space.
“If cattle are bred in one place, the price could go up to about two million naira each. We agreed with some local chiefs in other states that anyone who wants to rear cows in a location should register and should indicate when he is leaving.
“A Fulani man moves from one place to another to ply his trade, but we have some bad eggs that are fomenting trouble.
“The government should allow us to talk to our people that they don’t want our cows to destroy people’s farmlands”.
