NALDA TO Establish Cassava Packaging Plant, in Ogun State
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) is to establish a Garri processing plant in Ogun State South West Nigeria to boost the Cassava value chain and boost job creation for youths in the country.
The Cassava packaging plant would Compliment the Integrated Farm Estates to be established in the three Senatorial zones of the state.
The farm estate would comprise of different agricultural activities which includes farming, processing and packaging areas, commodity market, residential areas and schools.
The Executive Secretary of NALDA Prince Paul Ikonne made this disclosure when he paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Ogun state Dr. Dapo Abiodun.
Ikonne while briefing the governor on his visit said NALDA is in Ogun state to reactivates its seven hundred hectares land and possibly get more lands from the state government for the establishment of an Integrated Farm Estate in the three Senatorial Zones of the state, establish a Garri processing and packaging plant and train two hundred graduates with agric and science background on Soil testing technology.
“Mr. President have directed us to create employment and achieve food security through NALDA’s mandate, we are running projects which Ogun state has been slated to be one of the pilot states ”
“NALDA integrated Farm Estate is going to be sighted in the 3 senatorial zones in the state and the Integrated Farm Estate is a concept that takes in everything from production to Processing to packaging and marketing and it would also have residential areas for farmers. Your Excellency NALDA would be requesting you to provide the lands suitable for this project and as soon as the land is made available NALDA would commence work”
“Knowing that Ogun state has the largest capacity in Cassava production, our Garri packaging plant would be located in Ogun state, whereby NALDA would be the off taker from the farmers, they would process it and package accordingly and move it into the market, so putting this plant here in Ogun state would create more opportunities and also encourage the farmers to produce more knowing there would be reward”
SOIL TESTING
On the soil testing training, Ikonne noted that the state government would select 200 young graduates for the training that would commence as soon as the selections are made.
“we are training young Nigerians based on Mr. President’s directive on soil testing and extension services, Ogun state is expected to nominate 200 young graduates that have agric or science degrees that would undertake this intensive 2 weeks training in the first phase, they would be empowered by NALDA with soil test kits and implements to collect soil samples and they would begin to generate money from the programme thereby making a living for themselves”
According to the Executive Secretary the projects is an avenue to create thousands of jobs for the youths of the state because it would touch on the entire Agriculture value chain from production to processing and marketing, he further applauded the governor’s Prompt response to NALDA and creating the enabling environment for agriculture to thrive in the state.
He noted that the state’s progress in Agriculture cannot be overlooked and that NALDA is there to support and Compliment their efforts through collaboration and partnership in order to execute the project to its fullest capacity.
OGUN STATE
On his part Governor of Ogun state Dr. Dapo Abiodun commended NALDA for choosing his state as one of the pilot states for the Integrated Farm Estates, a gesture he said would further compliment the state’s Agripreneur drive aimed at creating employment for the youths of the state.
Dr. Abiodun stated that his state decided to key into President Buhari’s agricultural drive because the state the industrial hub of the country and raw materials are needed to sustain these industries.
” For us we felt it important to key in to Mr. President’s “grow what you it and it what you grow” program, be we appreciate the act that We are the industrial capital of this country and to sustain that, we need to continue sustain our agro produce programme because that’s the engine room of inputs for industrialization and since Mr. President gave his blessing, we haven’t looked back”
He said the Ogun state believes in public private sector partnerships and working towards creating the enabling environment for such partnerships.
He said the state being the largest Cassava producer in the country would benefit immensely from the establishment of the Garri processing plant.
He commended NALDA for selecting Ogun state, adding that the visit couldn’t have been more timely as it Compliment the state’s Agriculture programs.
It would be recalled that the National Agricultural Land Development Authority had commenced the establishment of Integrated farm estates across the country with Imo and Ekiti states respectively, Ogun state being the third.
Meanwhile NALDA had also empowered youths in animal husbandry some states the country.
