Northern Farmers appeal to government to pass Cattle Ranching Law

Farmers in the three Regions of the North are calling for a law to compel cattle ranchers and herdsmen to pay compensation for destroying farms in the area. 

The National President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Adam Mohammed Nashiru, made the appeal at a news conference in Tamale. 

The activities of herdsmen in the region have been a major problem for many years now. 

Herdsmen often lead their cattle into farms, destroying crops, rural livelihoods, robbing and in some instances creating conflict. 

Mr Nashiru explained that a research conducted by peasant farmers and their partners revealed that, there is currently no law for the adjudication of cases involving the destruction of farms by herdsmen. 

He added that these herdsmen are not registered and the population of their herds is unknown.

For his part, the Ghana Federation of Agricultural Produce believes that if the government passed the cattle ranching law, it will motivate more people to invest in cattle production and reduce the destruction of crops, water bodies and the environment as a whole.

GBC