NALDA seeks private sector investment on 200 hectares wheat farm in Gombe

The National Agricultural Lands Development Authority (NALDA) is wooing the private sector to invest in a 200-hectare wheat farm in Gombe State.

This is just as the Authority said it is targeting to engage over 400 youths on the wheat farm located Dogon Ruwa community of Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State.

The Executive Secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, while performing the groundbreaking ceremony of 2021 Dry Season Wheat Production in Dogon Ruwa community of Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State, said President Muhammadu Buhari to create jobs through agriculture.

Ikonne explained why youths are paramount in the heart of President Muhammadu Buhari in terms of employment and engaging them in lucrative ventures such as wheat production following the dear need of the commodity in Nigeria as there is inadequate production of the commodity compared to its demand.

He further stated that the choice of Gombe state which according to him is that the environment is naturally good for cultivation of the crop including processing and packaging.

“I use this opportunity to call on investors to begin to invest on wheat production as money is being made available NALDA will be positioning itself in providing water infrastructure in assisting in irrigation system as we go into massive wheat production in the country,” he said.

Furthermore, he said: “We are here in Gombe State based on the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari, have mandated NALDA to achieve food security and to have job opportunities for our teeming youths through viable agricultural value chains.

“But today we are to do groundbreaking ceremony of wheat production here in Gombe State. Nigeria as country is in dear need of wheat production. Our import value is more than what we produce, and we are consuming more than what we produce in terms of wheat so that makes wheat production very lucrative and very attractive for farmers.

“And now we will be encouraging farmers to go into wheat production in order to begin to earn a living income from wheat production, and that will help us reduce the volume we import and begin to consume what we produce on the mandate and directives of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He said the nation’s wheat consumption is more than 6 million metric tonnes annually, while it is producing about 1.1 per cent of what it consumes.

The NALDA boss said Gombe has been positioned by your nature as the potentials and as one of the States that would be producing wheat in Nigeria.

“We will need more additional more sites in terms of land provision. This community that have provided the land are the immediate beneficiaries as we provide them with the herbicides, pesticides, pumping machines, seeds, technical support, we will encourage our youths to be more productive, make money from wheat production.

“It is a lucrative business and the Federal Government is positioned to support her farmers in the area of wheat production. NALDA will be seeking more land donations from this community so that we will engage more youths.

“This 100 hectares here will engage 200 youths, the other 100 hectares in Nafada will also engage additional 200 youths. So a total of 400 youths will be engaged in this season of wheat production in Gombe State.

“And NALDA will engage more youths among farmers if you provide more land. Seeing you as an agric-friendly Governor, Your Excellency, NALDA is positioned to partner with you. We are willing and ready to go all out to engage your youths as directed by Mr President”, he added.

Prince Ikonne also disclosed plans to establish an Integrated Farm Estate, which he said that NALDA will provide a market called ‘NALDA’s Market for Vegetable’ with state of the art facility for farmers to prevent post-harvest losses following the perishable nature of vegetables.

“NALDA will also site the first Integrated Farm Estate in Gombe State based on your disposition.

“We enjoin you to also make yourself available as we lay the foundation by the end of this month.

“Having provided us with the enabling environment in the State, NALDA will be providing farmers with what we call ‘NALDA’s Market’ for vegetables, which you have provided us with a land that project will be completed before the end of February 2022”, he added.

The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, commended NALDA for the project, and also other projects NALDA is executing in line with the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari in terms of creating employment for youths in the state.

“This groundbreaking ceremony is part of the commitment of both the Federal and State governments under President Muhammadu Buhari and my humble self as the State Governor towards boosting the agricultural sector and ensuring food security in the country.

“On this NALDA is following President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate in making agriculture attractive to our youths to see agriculture as a business and a means of livelihood in order to attain economic prosperity.

“The dry season wheat production is in line with ongoing efforts to bridge the national deficit in wheat production in the country so as to reduce importation.

“The Executive Secretary of NALDA has already taken us through the quantity we demand in this country for over 6 million metric tonnes annually of which are not able to meet one per cent of it by local production.

“Dry season wheat production effort is to bridge this gap and the project is targeting nine states at the moment with a land size of over 2,500 hectares and is expected to reach at least 10, 000 metric tonnes because following the success by the grace of God, NALDA, the Federal Government, and private sector will join hands to see that Nigeria go through wheat consumption without necessarily importing a significant part of it,” Yahaya stated.

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NALDA seeks private sector investment on 200 hectares wheat farm in Gombe