Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The 37-member transition committee set up by the Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has raised the alarm that over 50 percent of the state grazing reserves have been encroached upon.
It therefore urged the government to embark on the recovery of the encroached reserves across the state.
The committee also called for a survey to verify the actual existing number and sizes of the reserves as added that there is need to establish an agency responsible for securing the reserves.
Chairman of the committee, Muhammad Kabir Ahmad, disclosed that there are about 23 grazing reserves with a combined total area of 221, 378 hectares across the state:.
“The areas were demarcated to restrict open range grazing so as to effectively harness the potentials of livestock production and address the associated security challenges”.
While also disclosing that the reserved lands had also been cultivated, he added that it is important that the encroached land be recovered.
The committee also raised the alarm over the low productivity of the state agricultural sector. It lamented that the state was rated low when compared to the National and International indicators on agricultural productivity.