NALDA Set to Engage Rural Farmers to Boost Food Security Nationwide

–         Secures 5,000 hectares of land in Kwara 

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin 

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) at the weekend said it will engage rural farmers across the 36 states of the federation to boost food production and reduce insecurity in the country.

The agency has already secured 5,000 hectares of land in the rural community of Ora in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, under the Renewed Hope Mega Farming programme for the initiative.

The 5,000 Hectare Renewed Hope Mega Farm estate is designed to have infrastructure such as hostels, admin blocks, warehouses, gatehouses amongsts others.

The Executive Secretary of NALDA, Engineer Segun Cornelius Adebayo, stated this at Ora Community in Kwara State over the weekend while addressing the stakeholders in Ora Community before he inspected the ongoing mega farm project in the community.

He said it was first of its kind in Nigeria designed not only to boost food security and rural development but as a strategy to end insecurity in Nigeria. 

Adebayo said, “Mr. President in his wisdom has approved the beautiful project for the good people of Ora Community in Ifelodun LGA and Kwara at large where 5,000 hectares have been cleared with 5 hectares of land per farmer.

“Each farmer is expected to engage four to five people and the project will be engaging about 5, 000 citizens, positively affecting 10,000 lives”.

Adebayo added that the President has always believed the best way to reach the grassroot is through agriculture hence his administration is systematically investing and supporting agriculture.

He noted “in these clusters there will be minimum of 10 tractors, which will increase exponentially with increase in the cleared land.

“There is significant funding from the Bank of Agriculture, there’s work going on for fertilizer support and NALDA is the foundation of entire agricultural system and the foremost agency involved in actual production”.

Adebayo added that, “the farm estate model of the president Tinubu’s government “is an answer to insecurity issues our farmers are facing”, adding that “food security is national security”.

According to him, one of the crops to be produced on the farm is Soyabean for the local and international market.

“What we came here to do in the town hall is sensitization, when a project becomes the baby of everybody in the community such project doesn’t fail. Arzikin Noma has been appointed as anchor for the project what they are going to do is to ensure there’s continuity” he said.

Speaking earlier during the stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization at the townhall the GMD Arzikin Noma Africa, High Chief Adeoluwa Adeshola said they are part of the project to train the farmers on right season to plant, apply fertilizer, urging them to open up their minds to the trainings.

He said the organization will also provide timely market for the farm produce for the benefits of all.

Responding the Olora of Ora Kingdom,Oba Rilwan Yekini lauded the president for the situating the project in his domain adding that the project will bring benefits to the participants and community at large.

Chairman Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state in his remarks, Alhaji AbdulRasheed Yusuf said the project ‘is an answer to the insecurity challenges facing Ifelodun Local Government Area.

“This is answer to the insecurity challenges we are having, one of the problems we are having with insecurity in Ifelodun local government is because of the large expanse of ungovernned land”, he said.