The National Land Development Authority, NALDA, has commenced wet season harvest on its Mechanised Farms across the country to boost food production, encourage youth in agriculture, and encourage best agronomic practices for better yields.
The Farms which are completely Mechanised, are Located in Kwakwuti, Paikoro Local Government in Niger State, Kokona Local Government of Nasarawa State, Gboko Local Government of Benue state North Central Nigeria and Galambi in Bauchi Local Government of Bauchi state in North East Nigeria.
Each of these farms boasts of equipments such as “bulldozers for land clearing and preparations, tractors for hollowing, tilling and movement of produce, Planters, threshers, winnowers, combined harvesters for harvesting and threshing of rice, Maize harvesters, applicators, Maize shellers and cleaners and sealing/bagging machines.”
The Agency has achieved success in both farms built and run solely by the agency and those run in collaboration with private and public institutions across the six geopolitical zones.
Harvesting, bagging, and storing of rice and maize are currently underway in Niger, Nasarawa, Benue, and Oyo states.
It is anticipated that these harvests will bhoost the nation’s grain supply, rice and maize, which will in turn have a positive effect on the value chains downstream that produce poultry feed, and other household goods.
Evidence from the states during the media tour of harvest activities at farm sites nationwide showed that NALDA harvests will help to reduce the gap in domestic production and supply of rice and maize.
Well-equipped NALDA Farm
In Bauchi State, maize harvest is ongoing at the well-equipped NALDA farm estate located at Galambi.
Although the overall land area is 500 hectares, 50 hectares were cultivated due to a 15-day rain delay and a late start to activities.
The farm is equipped with four tractors, two maize threshers, planters, boom sprayers, maize harvesters, and a finished grain warehouse.
The Bauchi State Coordinator for NALDA, Mr. Jalaludeen Mu’Azu said the NALDA farm will boost significant production in the area because no farms in the state possessed such machinery.
Mr. Mu’azu told journalists at the harvest site that the complete farm operation was entirely mechanized, from harrowing to planting to spraying fertilizer with a 400-litre capacity boom sprayer and machinery for weeding and harvesting.
Speaking on the harvest, he said: “we have just started our harvest, and you know this is the first time we are farming here. From the stories that we heard from people, there is a particular place they showed us that since they came here 40 years ago, they have never seen maize production that can be compared to our own. They were very amazed”
Expressing his excitement, he said: “as a young man working in a mechanized farm, I feel very happy. For you to see a mechanized farm that use only machines for everything, you have to look very far, is very rare around us here and I see a very bright future because you will be able to cover a very wide area of land within a very short period.”
Mechanized Benue Farm
Harvesting and bagging have also begun on the NALDA-cultivated 150-hectare rice farm in Gboko, Benue State.
With two combined harvesters, tractors, and other machines for bagging chores, the farm operations are totally automated.
NALDA expects to harvest large metric tonnes of paddy rice from the farm, as what has already been harvested indicated.
Speaking to journalists during a visit, NALDA state coordinator, Asom William stated that the farm recorded success due to the deployment of farm equipment adding that it has also drawn the willingness of youth to join the volunteer workforce.
With essential equipment, he stated that the stage is set for more expansion in the coming cropping season, including diversification into dry season production.
Maize Harvest in Niger
With maize grown on 85 hectares of land in the first season, continued harvesting has revealed a significant potential for over 100 metric tonnes of maize.
The completely mechanized farm is located in Tunga Gana, Paikoro LGA, providing opportunities for women and young people in the area.
The state Administration, NALDA, Niger State, Illiya Manta described the ongoing harvest as very good especially because the entire process is fully mechanised, something he said has also attracted a lot of interest from the youth in the community.
“Majority of what we are doing here is mechanized, but we have also engaged approximately 50 women who will help assemble maize in areas where we may face obstacles with the machines. We have also involved about 100 youths from the beginning of field preparation until harvest depending on the operations,” he said.
Mr. Manta said the intention of the state is to extend more production in the upcoming season, possibly covering 400 hectares if the headquarters allows.
He also indicated that plans are also in the pipeline to commence 100 hectares of dry season farming in a different location in the state.
The farm’s manager, Mustapha Ndadama, described his time working on the farm as a “very nice experience so far.”
“The most important aspect of it is the innovation. You can see every activity done with machines only a few places where we had challenges that we engage people to do it manually.
“The new innovations brought to us in Niger helped us to boost harvest, and you can see farmers around coming because they’re seeing something they have not seen before,” he said.
Shakirat Sadiq
