NALDA, Abia State Partners To Resuscitate Poultry Farm Estate
Ene Okwanihe, Abuja
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abia State Government in South East Nigeria to rehabilitate the Ogwe Golden Chicken Farm Estate in the state.
The MoU signing was held at the Abia State Government House, in Umuahia the state capital.
The Executive Secretary of the Authority Prince Paul Ikonne, speaking at the MoU signing ceremony told the governor and other cabinet officials that his team was in the state to formalise the understanding on the rehabilitation of the poultry farm estate, as NALDA was partnering Abia to reduce unemployment in the state.
Prince Ikonne said the estate, which was being revamped by NALDA, would employ about three thousand (3,000) youths and that the first phase of the project would be inaugurated in December this year.
“The MoU for Ogwe Golden Chicken Farm Estate is simple, the Abia State Government has made the land available for the facility. The President has mandated us to develop it in order to engage youths from that community”
“NALDA programmes are community-based and this one will engage youths in the entire poultry value chain. What this means is that Abia will be known for egg production and finished chicken products.”
“It will also reduce unemployment, because by the time you take away 3,000 people from the job seeking environment you are automatically creating security, as an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” he added
The NALDA boss noted that the Ogwe Golden Chicken farm would have many facilities given that the land is over 300 acres.
“with that size we will have the processing and hatchery points, residential area, production area in terms of producing feeds, and the packaging area.”
He further stated that Abia was entitled to three integrated farm estates and urged the governor to donate land for the two other remaining farm estates.
While responding, the Abia state Governir Okezie Ikpeazu thanked the President for appointing an indigene of Abia state to head NALDA, as he assured the Federal Government that the NALDA boss would continue to deliver on its mandates.
The governor stated that the NALDA had inspired hope in Nigerian youths, stressing that agriculture was a significant sector that needed quality personnel for proper management.
“You (Ikonne) have inspired hope through NALDA for our youths. Also, I will state that agriculture is a very strategic enterprise because it is one of the greatest sector for job creation and food provision”
“We applaud NALDA’s drive to ensure local participation in its programmes to create local economies and power houses to grow the country’s Gross Domestic Product and we assure the President that the chief executive of NALDA will continue to deliver.”
The governor also pledged his state’s support his state to the Federal Government in the actualisation of the farm estate and other projects championed by NALDA in the state.
Ikpeazu said the Ogwe Chicken project intervention showed that the Federal Government had come to operationalise the facility, as the 3,000 persons who would work there would be excited to see the poultry farm estate revamped.
