NALDA commission’s second integrated Farm

Ene Okwanihe, Abuja

  

The President of Nigerian Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan has commissioned the National Agricultural Land Development Authority’s (NALDA) second integrated farm estate in the country, in Yobe state, North East Nigeria.

 

 Establishing the farm estates has the sole objective of creating jobs for youth and women in rural parts of the country, reducing urban migration and injecting life back to rural Nigeria through agriculture.

The farm estates are developed to harness the areas of agriculture in which the states are most competent in or address a particular or peculiar agricultural need of states.  

For that of Yobe, the farm estate which sits on a 20 hectares land is Located at Gasamu, Jakusko local government area of the State, it houses 10 poultry pens that contains 30,000 birds, it also boasts of an incubation centre and is expected to produce about 250,000 noilers annually.

 

 It’s also expected to generate N1.1 million daily from sales of eggs alone, N8.160 million monthly from sales of day-old chicks, N400 million annually for the farmers and it has 30 youth who are direct beneficiaries of the project to manage the birds in a one person for 1000 birds arrangement.

 

Speaking at the commissioning during the weekend, the Executive Secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, said President Muhammadu Buhari mandated NALDA to make agriculture attractive for Nigerian youths to produce what we eat, so that Nigerians can eat what we produce

 

“This centre is like a reproduction centre that will be producing our locally improved birds that will be distributed across the country in order to encourage our local breeds and maintain our old stocks”.

  

Ikonne explained that the incubation centre will produce the parent stock which will lay eggs for the production of day old noilers for sales, with the production capacity of 250,000 annually, while the 30,000 birds would be used for egg and meat production for the 30 benefiting farmers.

 

He noted that the youths from the host community are the first set of beneficiaries of the project that would be generating income from the centre.

 

“NALDA integrated farm estates are meant to empower the community, to develop the land within the community, empower the youth, create employment and reduce hunger in our land”, Ikonne added.

 

“We believe that it will reduce unemployment and this community has been enjoying peaceful coexistence within themselves, that this farm will increase that peace within them.

 

“I want to thank the host community, especially the President of the Senate for his support and the Governor of the state for providing us the enabling environment to see that the desire of Mr. President is achieved.

 

 On sustainability of the farm estate, the NALDA boss said the Authority has engaged the service of Prime Farm to manage the farm estate, while Jaiz Bank and other banks will be its financial partners.

 

“The firms that will manage this farm (Prime Farm) are already on ground, and we work with Jaiz bank and other banks as our bankers in order to make sure that this project is sustained”, Ikonne added.

 

The President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Lawan while commissioning the project, said it will produce chicks for sales and distribution across the country.

 

“So it means it is a special bird, anyone who wants our type of chicks will get it from here, it means there will be a lot of trading and marketing between this Gasamu farm Centre and all parts of Nigeria.

 

The Senate President expressed optimism that the farm estate will project the name of the community, and cause the establishment of poultries around the local government and the state.

 

“That means we are going to have poultry farms coming up across this zone, particularly in Jakusko local government.

 

“So, I believe that very soon, we will see an increase in the number of poultry farms in this particular zone. This is one of the immediate benefits and I will urge our people not to lose this opportunity”, he noted.

 

While commending President Buhari for the approval of the project, Senator Lawan appealed to NALDA to increase the production capacity of the poultry, stating that the 250,000 chicks annually may not be enough for the community alone.

 

“Presently 30 youths will be engaged to manage the farm, this is only the direct employment, if you look at the indirect opportunities when you establish poultry farms across this zone, you would have put in many youths to manage these farms”, Senator Lawan added.

 

The Governor of Yobe State, Mai-Mala Buni in his address,  said the project is the first of its kind in the state.

 

Governor Buni who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government Baba Wali urged NALDA and the beneficiaries to ensure success of the centre in line with the state’s objective of introducing new ideas for effective production.

 

“I commend NALDA for establishing the centre which I consider a remarkable complementary effort of the present administration towards revitalization of agriculture for prosperity and a stronger nation.

 

“I want to use this opportunity to tell you that we are ready to cooperate with NALDA to ensure that this project is sustained”, the governor added.