Between 2016 to 2018, Netherlands Ranchers and animal husbandry Agric sub sector exported Meat worth over €21billion /N9trillion.
Cumulatively, Netherlands exported over $300billion /N117trillion worth of agro commodities within three years,2016 to 2018. For your information there was nothing like Farmers and Herders clashing in the whole of these periods .
No single Dutch citizen was lost to bandits and terrorist herders seeking for indigenous land for their herds of cattle , or piggery pens or goat pen or poultry house .
No cattle farmer or pig farmer or poultry farmer lost his or her animals to bandits from neighbouring countries seeking for cattle to rustle.
They did not kill any fellow Dutch citizens to raise their cows and pigs .
They did not kill any one farmer , burn any one house , destroy any farmland or settlement or community because a cow was killed or rustled .
The Dutch government did not use public funds to import grass from Bermuda triangle or create Ruga or settlement for some select class of Dutch citizens.
It will interest you to note that the herd size of the cattle in Netherlands is just about 1.6million healthy and productive cows .
This 1.6million cows are housed in over 18,000 Dairy farms under unique Agro Pastoral schemes that creates no problem for anyone.
Over 44,700 Dutch citizens, out of the over 200,000 engaged in the agricultural sector are employed in the dairy sector:
To take care and process milk and other associated dairy products from this healthy and productive 1.6million cows, there are over 23 milk processing companies and 57 processing plants , that are fully documented and adding much value to the dutch economy.
These processing 23 processing companies processes and produces over 12million tons of milk annually, 800,000 tons of cheese, and other dairy products annually.
Kindly note that all these over 44, 000 people employed in the dutch dairy industry and the over 200,000 folks employed in their agric sector pay their taxes and add so much value to the Dutch economy.
But here in Nigeria, despite creating chaos, with our maddening and outdated open grazing policies that have led to the death of hundreds of our citizens, destruction of communities , wastage of farmlands, gross insecurity and palpable fear in the land ( which has discouraged farmers from going to their farms) , we still import over $1.5billion worth of milk annually into the country.
Katsina , Zamfara , Kebbi, Borno , Niger, Benue , Nassarawa, Taraba states etc , that should be earning over $60billion annually from Agric and Agro processing all things being equal are being destroyed by bandits and terrorists from outside Nigeria and we all pretend that all is normal.
Who is fooling who ?
Everyday, we mouth diversification into agriculture as our source of economic rescue , yet a majority of us are not enraged at our continued indulgence in such stone age primitive animal husbandry practice in the 21st century . We still indulge , condone and make excuses for barbarism .
What people are discussing is how to import grass , give public funds to private business owners and create colonies for them .
Over N650billion that the CBN disbursed to "farmers" (both audio farmers and real farmers, over the last 5years are stuck and may not come back )
Netherlands with arable land that is just 2% of Nigeria"s arable land and a population that's less than 9% of Nigeria"s population earned a combined revenue of over $300billion /N117trillion from Agriculture exports within three years ,2016 to 2018 .
Yet here in the jungle we celebrate export of a container of rotten yam worth less than $20,000 as achievement. We call press conference to celebrate grants of a paltry $300m for Agric.
We clap and dance as the Asians export fresh tons of Agro commodities, whose forex earnings do not come back to Nigeria .
Are we not just ashamed as a people?
Is there anything that Netherlands is doing that we cannot do and surpass if we put the right round pegs in round holes in our MDAs at the local , states and federal government levels?
What is holding us back from totally restructuring this country back to the 1960 independent constitution that worked for us and can help us to accomplish better agro Agro mileages than Netherlands and other developed climes?
Between 1960 to 1966, the economies of the old Eastern Nigeria was adjudged the fastest growing among the commonwealth nations. Crude oil did not contribute to this massive growth .
What do we have in place as our 2 years , 4 years , 10 or 20years etc integrated, consolidated and holistic agriculture development master plan for Nigeria and her constituent units ? We don’t have any .
The major problem with this country is that an overwhelming majority of Nigerians love mediocrity. They celebrate it . The attitude is reflected in our everyday lives and work ethics . Most of us do not desire to be set apart in excellence and outstanding performances . we are not outraged by the madness round about us . Where is our indignation ? Where is our humanity and God given skills /ability to create, multiply and replenish the earth ?
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