The National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA is making plans to establish integrated farm estates in Ogun State to boost job creation for youths in the State.
Executive Secretary of NALDA, Paul Ikonne disclosed this during a courtesy visit on Governor Dapo Abiodun in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Ikonne said the farm estate would have its cassava processing plant with different agricultural activities which includes farming, value chain processing and packaging areas, commodity market, residential areas and schools.
Ikonne said NALDA is in Ogun State to reactivate its 700 hectares of land and possibly get more land from the State Government for the establishment of an integrated farm estate in each of the 3 senatorial districts. It would include establishment of a Garri processing and packaging plant and training of 200 graduates with science background on soil testing technology.
In his words “Mr. President has 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”.
He further explained that the “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.
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.
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.
For Governor Abiodun it is a great privilege for NALDA to choose the Ogun as one of the pilot states for the Integrated Farm Estates, a gesture that would further compliment the state’s Agricultural drive aimed at creating employment for the youths in the state.
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Abiodun maintained that Ogun State decided to key into President Buhari’s agricultural drive because the state is the industrial hub of the country and raw materials are needed to sustain these industries.
He said the Ogun State believes in public private partnerships and working towards creating the enabling environment for investment to thrive.
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 third state.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
