The National Agricultural Land Development Agency (NALDA) has assured Nigerians that the country will not suffer food crisis next year.
NALDA allayed fears of food shortage following the recent devastating effects of flooding on farmlands across major crop zones in the country.
It revealed that the agency was planting 500 hectares of dry-season wheat in Adamawa, Yobe, Jigawa, Gombe, and Taraba States to accelerate food production.
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This was stated by the agency’s Executive Secretary, Prince Paul Ikonne.
While ruling out food shortage next year, he added that the agency had acquired machinery and implements to accelerate farming across the six geo-political zones.
Ikonne stated this during a media conference in Abuja yesterday where he made it known that all was set for President Muhammadu Buhari to showcase the achievements of NALDA within two years, at Abuja.
According to him, significant progress has been made in impacting young farmers and women through several agricultural projects.
He said:
“NALDA was moribund when President Muhammadu Buhari brought it back for the purpose of encouraging young Nigerians to embrace agriculture, tackle the issue of land preparation, and land clearing land development.
“Currently, we are doing 500 hectares of wheat production in this dry season and since then till today, NALDA has been progressive and making a positive impact in the lives of Nigerians.
“Mr President will be unveiling what NALDA has been doing within these two years that NALDA is back to better the lives of Nigerians and develop our agricultural space.
“The President will showcase some of the equipments that NALDA has procured and also the achievements, since we cannot go to the farms where we have established the farms and bring them to the venue, but rather they will be seen in document, which are not fictitious, those farms are located in villages where people live and the location will be mentioned, meaning those farms exist.
“Some of these achievements will be seen on papers while the name of the location will be mentioned so that the public will get to know what Mr President has achieved in agriculture using NALDA, as you know farming business is not something you start seeing today and start harvesting today, is a process, so in the process NALDA is progressing.
“When we came on board, this administration of Mr President did not inherit anything in terms of equipment or infrastructure from the old NALDA but as we speak today, the agency has offices in almost all the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”
The Secretary further revealed that the President has laid a strong foundation for the agency to function effectively with over 50,000 farmers excluding women who have so far benefited from crops and livestock production.
He said:
“NALDA has acquired tractors, farm implements, we have farms across the six geo-political zones within this pace of time, we have empowered over 50,000 young Nigerians outside women.”
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