NALDA commences rice harvest in Adamawa

Ene Okwanihe, Abuja

National Agricultural Land Development Authority has commenced harvest activities on its rice farm in Suju village, in Ganye local government area of state, as part of its efforts to boost rice production and enhance food security in the country.

On a visit to the farm by Voice of Nigeria, about twenty youth of the community that have been engaged by NALDA on a daily pay plan were seen carrying out harvest activities on farm.

The farm had commenced with land preparations and inputs supplies earlier in the year.

The farm which is part of NALDA’s wet season farming programme is expected to yield at least 1000 tons of rice at the end of the harvest.

After the wet season harvest is done, there are already plans on ground to commence dry season wheat farming.

five Boreholes have been drilled with a generator to power them, the farm already boast of a stream which is a natural water source that would be utilize to support irrigation activities on the farm.

With the wheat and rice farm, Training Fish farmers on best practices by providing them with stainless steel ovens, and other upcoming projects like the mega groundnut storage facility to be established in Hong Local Government ares of the state and the Cow fattening facility to be established in Yolde Pate in Yola South, NALDA has covered the 3 Senatorial Districts in the state.

DONATED LANDS NOT CONVERTED FOR RUGA

While urging other states yet to key into NALDA’s project to donates and come on board and benefit from it, the NALDA boss said NALDA is not interested in taking over lands from the people but only concerned about youth empowerment and Food security.

He said comparing NALDA’s farm estates to Ruga, insinuating that it is Ruga or saying the lands being donated by communities are being converted for Ruga is misleading.

Acording to Ikonne, what should really interest Nigerians and Nigeria as a country is availability of food and achieving food security,

“the issue of taking land from people and using it for Ruga is totally misleading, and is not what we should dwell on now, what we should focus on is how do we achieve food security because everybody needs food to survive, whether oppositions or no opposition, religion or no religion, tribe or no tribe everybody needs foods”

“And this is the reason why NALDA is advocating and reaching out to communities and villages to make their land available for development n order for Nigeria to achieve food security” He added