The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and Kogi State Government is set to partner on the establishment of a 700 hectares cattles, goat sheep and poultry Integrated Farm Estate in Kogi State North Central Nigeria with the major focus on improving the livestock sub-sector, reducing farmers’/herders’ clashes in the country and creating job opportunities for about three thousand youths (3000) in the host community.
This was disclosed when the Executive Secretary and his team paid a courtesy call on the Kogi state Governor, Mr. Yahaya Bello, in his office.
The Farm Estate would be located on a seven (700) hundred hectares land in Okwuha Obayin Village, in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of the state donated to NALDA by the state.
The farm would focus mainly on livestock (Cattle, Goat, sheep and Poultry) and pasture production; it would have a cropping area with an irrigation farming system in place to enable all year round food production particularly maize as the farm has natural water source in its path.
Prince Ikonne while meeting with the governor said he was in the state to fulfill Mr. President’s directive to establish Integrated Farm Estate in the one hundred and nine Senatorial zones of the country and create jobs for youths and women in rural Nigeria.
According to him Kogi being the gateway to most regions of the country, the Farm estate in Kogi is a very strategic one.
“You have done a lot in saving the country being a gateway to a lot of states, with this project coming to the state we are very much optimistic that a lot would be achieved, food security would be achieved, employment would be achieved, solving the problem between herdsmen and farmers achieved and Nigeria would be on auto drive to achieving food security”
Ikonne noted that NALDA is ready to partner with Kogi state to ensure that the project is a success.
Governor Yahaya Bello while receiving the NALDA team said his government has been able to stabilize and sustain peace and security in the state, noting that herders fleeing different parts of the country migrate to the state and leave peacefully with the locals.
“Here we have made available 700 hectares of land in just one local government to take care of the first phase of this programme here in Kogi state”
