NALDA to Engage Youths in Crop Farming and Animal Husbandry as Communities Donate Lands in Akwa Ibom
National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has said it would engage 500 youths in crop farming and animal husbandry in four communities in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The Executive Secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, disclosed this in Akwa Ibom State, while inspecting 40 hectares of land donated by the benefitting communities to the NALDA under its National Young Farmers Scheme (NYFS).
Learn MoreIkonne explained that the 40 hectares of land donated would be used for palm oil plantation and other other cropping activities, “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.
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“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.”
The four benefitting communities include Unit Obong, Ikot Ufen, Ukana Mkpa Eyop and Ikot Ukpong Akpa Edem.
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.
He noted that agriculture remains the highest employer of labour, adding that the Federal Government would leverage on it to reduce unemployment in the country.
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.
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