…as 109 senatorial districts to have integrated farm estates

By Gabriel Ewepu

AS food prices continue to hit the roof across the country, the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA, Tuesday, disclosed that N2 billion will be generated annually from Integrated Farm Estate in Ogun State.

This was made know by the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, while on visit to the ongoing construction of its Integrated Farm Estate on 100 hectares of land located in the Special Agro Industrial Zone, Makun-Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

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, and that the soil is good for high yields.

 Explaining about the project Ikonne said the integrated farm estate will be used for crop farming, cassava processing, fish processing, snail processing, warehouses, fish pond, snail farm, poultry, goat and sheep pen, office, and pasture areas for animal grazing.

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According to him with completion of land clearing of the site, construction activities will commence from August, and will be completed by February 2022.

He added that NALDA’s plan for the Ogun farm estate is to be largest in terms of fish production, goat and snails because it is located close to Lagos State, the nation’s commercial capital, where the seaport operates.

Meanwhile, the NALDA boss said 1, 500 farmers will be engaged in the farm as a way of reducing unemployment and bringing in more people into food production to boost food security and attain the level of food self-sufficiency.

He said: “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 approximately N2 billion annually after the first year of the startup.

“Ogun is one of our key farm estates because of its proximity to the seaports for export purposes and the farm estate would give Nigeria and Nigerians an image in food production.”

He (Ikonne) also maintained that the host community would not be left behind rather the agency would ensure it is carried along in terms of development and adding value to lives of people in the community, which it will do same in all communities where NALD’s integrated farms are located.

“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.

Speaking on the effort made by the Buhari-led administration to galvanise the agricultural sector, he commended the effort of Mr President for the ongoing revolution in the agricultural sector whereby NALD’s farm estates are currently being resuscitated across the country along with massive employment of young people in the farms, which they are made agripreneurs.

Meanwhile, according to the NALDA boss disclosed that the agency has commenced implementation of Buhari’s directive to replicate the Integrated Farm Estate module in all the 109 senatorial districts in the country.