NALDA’s Farm Estate in Abia to engage about 400 Women/Youth
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority’s Integrated Farm Estates in Ariam Elu Elu in Ikwuano Local Government area of Abia state and Acharaubo Emekuku Integrated Farm Estate in Owerri North, Local Government Area of Imo State are ready for commissioning by the government.
The Ariam Elu Elu farm estate sits on a 100 hectares land donated by the community, given that land clearing poses problems in the southern parts of the country, NALDA carried out a land clearing exercise on the land.
The farm currently boasts of fifty fish ponds with a capacity of 150, 000 fingerlings and 3,000 fishes has been completed.
It also has 3 solar powered industrial boreholes to cater for the water needs of the farm, a 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 Executive Secretary of NALDA Prince Paul Ikonne while on an inspection tour of the farm said the object of the project just like other NALDA projects across the country is to empower youths and inject life back into rural Nigeria and reduce urban migration.
He said 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 with of the women and youth already trained and prepared to eventually run the farm for their economic benefits as it has the capacity to generate….. Per annum.
Ariam community is strategically located with a ready market as it borders Akwa Ibom and Abia state.
When commissioned in the weeks to come the beneficiaries from the community would take the running of the farm with NALDA on ground to guide and provide technical support when needed.
ACHARAUBO FARM ALSO READY
Also ready for commissioning is the reactivated 35 hectares Acharaubo Emekuku Integrated Farm Estate in Owerri North, Local Government Area of Imo State, that has been abandoned for over thirty years.
NALDA has resuscitated some of the existing facilities on the farm and also added some new facilities to boost productivity on the farm.
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.
During the visit to the farm, beneficiaries could be seen on the ground taking care of all the sections of the farm based on their areas of training.
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.