In a move to increase job creation through agriculture, the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) is set to commission Integrated Farm Estates in Abia and Imo state.
The farm estates located in Elu Elu, Ikwano Local Government area of Abia state and the Acharaugo Emekuku estate in Owerri North Love cal Government area of Imo state sits on 100hectares and 35hectares of land donated by the community respectively.
The Executive Secretary of the agency Paul Ikonne disclosed that the Ariam Elu Elu farm estate currently boasts of fifty fish ponds with a capacity of 150,000 fingerlings and 3,000 fishes has been completed.
He said in addition the farm estate has 3 solar powered industrial boreholes to cater for the water needs of the farm, a newly constructed 2 kilometers road with drainages, solar powered street light, office block and residence.
For the cropping areas of the farm, a high yielding, pest resistant 40,000 Dwarf Cavendish, Valerie and Big Lady Finger species of Banana trees has been planted on 25 hectares of the land.
The NALDA boss while inspecting the farm noted that the aim of the project was to empower youths and inject life back into rural Nigeria and reduce urban migration adding that the project is in line with President Muhammed Buhari’s mandate to NALDA to create jobs through agriculture and encourage Nigerians to produce what we eat and eat what we produce.
He noted that project would benefit about 400 women and youth of the community as some of them have been trained to operate the farm for their economic benefits.
In addition the 35 hectares of land at Owerri North, Local Government Area of Imo State abandoned for over thirty years has been resuscitated to boost productivity.
The farm currently has 6 poultry houses with 18 pens that contain about 10,000 birds, 3 goat houses with 196 goats, 3 piggeries containing 108 pigs, 3 solar powered boreholes, access roads and drainage and solar powered street lights on the farm.
Just like other NALDA farm estates, the target of the Acharaubo Farm Estate is to create job opportunities for the youth and women of the community.
It would be recalled that NALDA had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Imo State government to take the abandoned integrated farm estate, reactivate it and engage the people of the community.
