The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA),  Thursday, announced plans to inaugurate two integrated farm estates in Abia and Imo states.

The farms are located at Ariam Elu-Elu, in Ikwuano Local Government area of Abia state and Acharaugo Emekuku in Owerri North, Local Government Area of Imo State.

The agency’s Executive Secretary, Prince Paul Ikonne, made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja.

He said that Ariam Elu-Elu farm estate was sited on a 100-hectare land donated by the community and that NALDA had carried out a land clearing exercise on the land, given that land clearing was a problem in the area.

“The farm, which currently boasts of 50 fish ponds with a capacity of 150, 000 fingerlings and 3,000 fishes, had been completed.

”It also has three solar-powered industrial boreholes to cater for the water needs of the farm, a two-kilometre road with drainages, solar-powered street light, office block and residence,” he said.

He added that for the cropping areas of the farm, a high yielding, pest resistant 40,000 Dwarf Cavendish, Valerie and Big Lady Finger species of banana trees had been planted on 25 hectares.

While inspecting the farm, Ikonne said that the objective of the project, just like other NALDA projects across the country, was to empower youths and inject life back into rural Nigeria and reduce urban migrations

He said the project was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate to NALDA, to create jobs through agriculture and encourage Nigerians to produce ‘what we eat and eat what we produce.’

According to him,  the project would benefit about 400 women and youths of the community.

He said the women and youths had already been trained and prepared to eventually run the farm for their economic benefit as the farm had the capacity to generate huge revenue annually for the beneficiaries.

”Ariam community is strategically located with a ready market, as it borders Akwa Ibom and Abia states,” he said.

Ikonne said that NALDA had also reactivated the 35-hectare Acharaugo Emekuku integrated farm estate in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo state

He said the farm, which was abandoned for over 30 years, was also ready for inauguration, having been resuscitated by NALDA of its existing facilities and also adding new ones, to boost productivity on the farm.

”The farm currently has six poultry
houses with 18 pens that contain about 10,000 birds, three goat houses with 196 goats.

”Three piggeries containing 108 pigs, three solar-powered boreholes, access roads and drainage and solar-powered street lights,” he said.

”Just like other NALDA farm estates, the target of the Acharaugo farm estate is to create job opportunities for the youth and women of the community,” he said.

Ikonne said that beneficiaries had already begun taking care of all sections of the farm, based on their training.

NALDA had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Imo state government to possess the abandoned integrated farm estate, reactivate it and engage the people of the community. (NAN)