The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, His Lordship Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, has called on Southeast governors to work towards exposing Igbo youths to mechanised system of rearing cattle through the process of ranching.

He said that the step will help to forestall the encroachment of Fulani cattle herders into the community farmlands.

Addressing journalists at the Blessed Iwene Tansi’s Catholic Parish, Ebenebe, in Awka North Local Government Area of the state, the Bishop called for a revolution in the system of rearing cattle for livelihood.

He observed that with population explosion experienced in the world over and people maintaining improved method of living and feeding, meat had become a lucrative business.

He cited countries like Ireland, Israel and Korea as countries with small landmass that moved to adopt ranching in their meat supply adding that with that improved method, cattle rearing were confined in enclosures, leading to their cattle yielding quality and quantity meat and milk.

According to Bishop Ezeokafor, Israel which had a large influx of pilgrims to their Holy places regularly, still had food sufficiency and were able to meet the demands of food and meat supply through their tourism industry.

He described cattle rearing and meat supply as a lucrative business, noting that those who engaged in it were assured of buoyant economic empowerment.

His words: “When Igbo Youths engage in it as business enterprise it would motivate their Fulani/Hausa counterparts to emulate them.

“When herdsmen revolutionised animal husbandry with modern method of feeding the cattle with improved animal feeds in ranches, it would eventually make better breeds with less primitive rigors of roaming about in the forest and farm lands.

“Ranching should be adopted for the mutual advantage and coexistence of herdsmen and farmers,” Ezeokafor said.

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