4 A’Ibom communities donate 40 hectares of land to NALDA for youth engagement in agribusiness

As NALDA boss assures funds for commencement of project

By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

As Federal Government reinstates commitment to diversify the economy through agriculture, four communities including Ikot-Obong, Ikot-Ufen, Ukana Mkpa Eyop, and Ikot-Ukpong Akpa Edem and Ikot-Ikpon under Ebong Clan of Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, weekend donated 40 hectares of land to the National Agricultural Land Development Agency, NALDA, for youth engagement in agribusiness.

The donation was made in order to transform agricultural practices in the area and to tackle youth unemployment under the National Young Farmers Scheme driven by NALDA.

The donation of the 40 hectares of land was received by the Executive Secretary, NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, who maintained that the government is committed to ensuring 1000 youths are engaged by NALDA under the scheme from each of the 774 local government areas of the country.

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Ikonne also explained that the 40 hectares would be developed in order to engage about 500 youths from the four communities that donated the land, which they will be engaged in palm plantation, intercrops, and animal husbandry.

He said: “Now that the community has donated land our responsibility is to develop the land using agriculture, and that is what we are going to impact the youths and we will engage them into meaningful food production and modern agriculture.

“What we are going to be using the 40 hectares is going to be for palm plantation and intercrop activities, engaging roughly 200 youths from these communities that have donated the land.

“For animal husbandry, we are going to do goat and poultry farming and we are not going to engage not less than 300 or 500 farmers directly, and that gives you a picture of how the communities will like under a year.”

Meanwhile, the NALDA boss assured that the fund is already captured in the 2021 budget for the project and it will commence development of the land anytime soon and there is no cause for alarm.

“What we are saying here is not going to happen in the next 40 years it is in this budget year we are entering in 2021 because it is already captured in the budget, and Mr President has already made the funds available for the project”, he stated.

Also speaking was the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator, NALDA, Imoh Imoh, who called on other community leaders to key into the project and donate lands to NALDA in order to add value to their young people who are unemployed now.

“The scheme is open to all communities in the country, and other community leaders in Akwa Ibom State should take advantage and participate in the programme.

“What we want to do at NALDA is to come and farm to feed the nation and get our youths employed and attain food sufficiency because hunger does not know political colouration, hunger is a human factor, and we want to use this opportunity to appeal to everybody to tap into what NALDA is doing, talk and engage us because we are ready to assist”, he added.

Earlier speaking on behalf of the communities that donated their land to NALDA, Ikot-Ukpong Village Head, HRM Obong Mfon Willian Akpan, called on NALDA to consider farm roads, water supply, and other basic amenities that would boost the proposed farm in the area, and also promised support to work with the agency.

“The problem we have here is water supply, road and others in order to enable us to have a befitting farm, today there is no water there, tractors and others. The four communities are ready to work with NALDA in this project”, Idem said.

Ikonne also disclosed that the fund for the project is part of the recently signed 2021 Budget by President Muhammadu Buhari, hence there is no cause for alarm as far as funding is concerned.

Vanguard News Nigeria

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