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The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has commenced the construction of its Integrated Farm Estate in Ogun state South West Nigeria, with a target of engaging one thousand five hundred beneficiaries (1500) and generating two Billion Naira annually after its first year.
The farm estate which is set to be NALDA’s biggest in fish, goat and snails production farm is located on a one hundred hectares land in the state’s Special Agro Industrial Zone, in Makun-Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the State.
The farm estate would boast of Garri processing and packaging plants, snail farming, Goat rearing and fishing farming.
A visit to the farm with the contractor shows that land clearing has been done and the land is being mapped out for different activities such as crop farming zone, Cassava processing zone, fish processing zone, Snail processing zone, warehouses, Fish pond, Snail farm, Poultry, Goat and Sheep pen, office area and pasture area for grazing the animal.
On the progress made so far on the Farm Estate in Ogun, with land clearing completed, construction is set to commence this month and is expected to be completed by February of 2022.
In an interactive session with Journalists after the visit to the site, the Executive Secretary of NALDA Prince Paul Ikonne shades light on NALDA’s plan for the Ogun farm saying the farm estate in Ogun would be the biggest in production of fish, goat and snails due to its proximity to the commercial city of Lagos.
“The reason why we want to make Ogun farm one of the biggest in production is its proximity to Lagos, and you know that there is market for everything in Lagos and our target for the farm in Ogun is proximately two Billion Naira annually after the first year of the startup…Ogun is one of our key farm estate because of its proximity to the sea ports for export purposes and the farm estate would give Nigeria and Nigerians an image in food production”
Prince Ikonne noted that the Farm estate would expose the host community to development and boost the living standards of not only the community hosting the farm Estate in Ogun but all other communities hosting the NALDA Integrated Farm Estate.
“What the Farm Estate would do to the community is first, development, reduce migration from the community to the urban areas, increase their incomes through agriculture, increase the GDP such that the living standards within the communities that are hosting NALDA integrated estates would definitely go up”
“The prospects are high because there would be traffic of people coming into the community buy from the farm Estate based on what is being produced in the farm estates so it’s a win-win for all the communities that are hosting NALDA Integrated Farm Estate, ” he stated.
He further applauded President Muhammadu Buhari visionary leadership in revolutionising agriculture in the country and for reviving NALDA as with the NALDA Farm Estate across the country, Nigerian youths are in for good business because it’s encouraging them to look to agriculture for the much needed employment.
According to the NALDA boss, NALDA Integrated Farm Estate is purely organic and would be fully mechanized with all year round farming activities as irrigation system would be deployed noting that the Ogun soil is encouraging as its high yielding.
He said that NALDA has commenced the implementation of the directive given by President Muhammadu Buhari after the commissioning of the first farm estate in Katsina state that NALDA should replicate the Integrated Farm Estate module in all the one hundred and nine (109) senatorial zones in the country.
Meanwhile, observations during an earlier visit to other NALDA project site in Imo and Abia state in the South east shows that work at both farms are progressing at different levels.
On the Acharaugo Emekuku Integrated Farm Estate in Owerri North, Local Government Area of Imo State, rehabilitation work is 75% complete with drainage facilities in place, two functional solar powered boreholes, and access roads already on ground.
The farm which sits on a thirty five (35) hectares land already boasts of six Poultry pens, four goat pens, Piggeries, a crop area for farming and an administrative block.
With the progress being made on the farm estate it is expected that the first week of September date for the official commissioning would be met.
On a visit to the NALDA fish village in Ariam, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, developmental work is on going on the farm and the fish ponds are nearing completion,
Access road has been constructed with drainages and a concrete covert constructed over a river to allow for access to other parts of the farm, a solar powered borehole that would service the farm is already installed and the crop farming area already cleared and ready for farming.
Lateefah Ibrahim
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