Yemeni farmers protest Houthis' ban on livestock fodder

ADEN -- The Iran-backed Houthis' ban on the production and sale of livestock fodder in Yemen's Tihama plain is a shortsighted move that will negatively impact the country's agricultural sector, farmers in the coastal region said.

Some also suspect that the decree, issued in late October by the Houthi-controlled General Authority for the Development of Tihama, is intended to pave the way for the Iran-backed group to take over agricultural property.

The decree instructs Houthi forces to "seize cars and trucks loaded with livestock feed" and prosecute the owners, drivers and buyers.

The Houthis claimed the ban was introduced to prevent food shortages, in line with a "self-sufficiency" edict delivered by their leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

But the ban will negatively impact food production and cost many farmers their livelihoods, driving them into poverty, farmers and activists said.

Saeed Mohsen, a farmer from al-Hodeidah's al-Khokha district, told Al-Mashareq that producing livestock fodder is the main source of income for his family.

Mohsen, who owns a livestock feed production farm with two of his brothers, said the cultivation and production of feed in the Tihama plain cover the needs of livestock owners across the country, especially in times of drought.

"Many Tihama residents work in the sale and distribution of feed to all parts of Yemen, so the business has become a major source of livelihood for breadwinners," Mohsen said.

Losses for farmers, livestock owners

Agriculture activist Ahmed al-Mesbahi described the ban on the sale of fodder as "a blind decision" that would benefit only the Houthis and help them "exert dominance over the farmers' lives".

The ban will result in huge losses for farmers, he said, while cattle and sheep owners will suffer from a shortage of feed, which may kill their livestock.

The Houthis should support the farmers if they are worried about Yemen's food security, he said, and supporting the agricultural sector includes supporting the livestock sector, as both sectors enhance food security, he said.

The Houthi authority must enforce the regulations in place to protect livestock, develop rural areas, and increase the capacity for livestock production, he said.

The Houthis' ban on the sale of fodder is "an ill-considered decision that has no economic objective, and is rather aimed at tightening their chokehold on the public", economist Faris al-Najjar told Al-Mashareq.

It will result in secret sales of fodder, which will create a black market and drive the price of livestock feed up, he predicted.

Threat to food security

"The Houthis do not provide any service to the productive sectors, and have instead imposed duties under various pretexts, without paying attention to the importance of these sectors in supporting the economy," economist Abdul Aziz Thabet said.

The group "seeks to starve people to subjugate them", he said.

About 70% of the population works in agriculture and its sub-sectors, and "the ban on the cultivation and sale of feed affects the agricultural sector and threatens the livestock, posing a threat to food security in Yemen", he said.

Yemen's agriculture sector has been in decline amid the taxes and tariffs imposed by the Houthis, he said, accusing the group of plundering the sector.

Thabet said the average contribution of the agriculture sector to Yemen's gross domestic product (GDP) was about 13.7%, while the average contribution of the sector to the national income stood at 16.5% before the war began.