NALDA’s Proposed Farm Estate Targets 500 Farmers in Imo

By James Emejo

The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Prince Paul Ikonne, has said that the establishment of its Integrated Farm Estate in Imo State will create direct opportunities for over 500 farmers.

He said the proposed 35 hectares Acharaugo Emekuku Integrated Farm Estate in Owerri North, Local Government Area had been abandoned for more than 30 years and will now be resuscitated to provide employment opportunities to the people.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the facility, he said NALDA had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government to take over the abandoned farm estate in order to reactivate it and engage the people of the community.
Ikonne explained that the facility could engage over farmers directly adding that there would be a veterinary training center to give practitioners and prospective veterinary doctors opportunity to be trained as well as acquire knowledge on how to take care of animals within the farm.

He said the move by the authority was sequel to the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that all abandoned farm estate be recovered and reactivated as well as create new ones in order to create employment opportunities and achieve food security in the country.

The move to set up another farm estate came barely a month after Buhari inaugurated the maiden 100- hectare integrated farm estate established by NALDA in Daura, Katsina State.
The president had further pledged that his administration would give all support to the authority to help it expand the farm estates to all the 109 senatorial district in the country.
The initiative is also designed to woo the unemployed youths into farming in order to earn a living and shun crime.

On the Imo facility, the NALDA boss said, “Our intention is to make the farm fully functional, bring back the things that used to be there before like the poultry, piggery, goat pens and additional facilities like the processing unit, packaging unit, training centers and snail rearing where farmers will be taught on rearing and processing.”

Separately, Ikonne also announced that plans for the establishment of the NALDA Fish village in Ariam Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, adding that no fewer than 300 farmers will benefit directly from the project particularly in the areas of fish and grass cutter farming as well as crop production.
He said the Ariam fish village is targeted at empowering women within and outside the community through an initiative known as “Women in Fish Farming”.

Ikonne said,”This is part of Mr. President’s directive to NALDA as measures to develop villages, communities and we can only develop these areas when there is land donations. So any community that makes land available to us can be assured that the land will turn into meaningful use for the benefit of the community to reduce youth restiveness, unemployment and to achieve food security”.