The Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association(OSACA) has said food prices will continue to rise in the state, unless a critical step is taken to address the menace of Fulani herdsmen.
The Chairman of the association, Akin Olotu who said in Akure, the State Capital disclosed that the policy formulated in Ekiti State that banned the activities of herdsmen, is affecting farmers in the state as herdsmen who left Ekiti State have moved to Ondo State to continue their menace.
“The Issue of Fulani herdsmen is a serious problem in the state and if nothing is done to address it, our experience will be worse than that of 2016. Now anything left in the barn is not spared.
“One of the resolutions when we held a stakeholders summit on this issue in 2016, it was resolved that the State House of Assembly should make an enabling law regulating grazing in the state, but nothing has been done yet.”
“As an association, we said we don’t want night grazing and whoever wants to rear cattle should buy food for them, like poultry and fish farmers do.
“A situation where our farm produce are used to feed cattle is not acceptable, it is a serious problem and we should not wait until something unfortunate happens.”
