The Director for Animal Production at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Mr. Edwin Bekoe has revealed that, by March next year, Fulani herdsmen in the region will be relocated to Fumbisi in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region.
According to Mr. Bekoe, the decision was taken in conjunction with the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] which sought to help in proper monitoring and also aid in evaluating the activities of herdsmen in the region. He explained that, over the years, farmers have complained over the continuous destruction of their farms by alleged cattle of these Fulani Herdsmen in the Region.
“So far in the Southern part of the country we have been able to get about 150,000 hectares of land donated by chiefs to establish breeding reserves, in April we were in Fumbisi and we had a conversation about this Fulani issue in conjunction with a group in ECOWAS We met there, we met the herdsmen and we formed a committee to oversee the activities of these herdsmen so that, when they are conflict they can quickly resolve them,” he stated.
He was speaking when the Agriculture Minister Dr. Afriyie Akoto visited the Upper East Region on a working visit to interact with the various Municipal and District Directors of the Departments of Agriculture along with stakeholders in the region.
Mr. Bekoe explained that forming the committee was necessary because it will create room for opinion leaders and stakeholders to sensitize community leaders on the coming of the herdsmen in the community which will go a long way to foster unity and harmony in their stay with the herdsmen in the District.
Stressing on the relocation of the Fulani herdsmen he added that, “in 2022 probably March we will come back and sought of firm up the arrangements we have made earlier”
He, therefore, called on the District Chiefs Executive of the area and other stakeholders to come on board by speaking to the various traditional rulers to lease out their lands to accommodate the herdsmen as they look to end the almost perennial issue of farmlands having to be destroyed by alleged Fulani Herdsmen.
Source:Fiilafmonline/A1Radioonline.
