SEDC flags off South-East agro-development programme

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The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has flagged off its South East Agro-Development Programme with the commencement of a 200-hectare integrated model farm at Nomeh Unataeze in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The pilot project, being implemented in partnership with the Enugu State Government, was designed to strengthen agricultural productivity, expand food production, create employment, improve livelihoods, develop agricultural skills and establish a replicable model for modern agriculture across the South East.

The flag-off ceremony, witnessed by the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Barrister Ifeanyi Ossai, who represented Governor Peter Mbah; Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh; Chairman of SEDC, Dr. Emeka Wogu; Managing Director/CEO of the Commission, Mr. Mark Okoye; traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders, marked a transition from programme planning to physical implementation.

Speaking at the event, Ossai described the project as an important demonstration of what strategic collaboration between the state government and SEDC could achieve, particularly at a time when food production and economic diversification had assumed greater importance.

He said: “The development of this agricultural facility in Nomeh demonstrates what is possible when government institutions work together around a clear development objective. Enugu State is committed to creating the conditions for productive investment, and we are pleased to partner with SEDC on a project that will not only produce food, but also create jobs, develop skills, support farmers and strengthen the agricultural value chain.”

He expressed optimism that the project could become an important component of the economic development of Nkanu East, Enugu State and the wider South East within the context of Nigeria’s development aspirations.

The project forms part of SEDC’s broader agro-development and mechanisation strategy, which seeks to transform agriculture from a predominantly subsistence activity into a platform for food security, enterprise development, employment, skills acquisition and regional economic growth.

Unlike conventional farms focused on single agricultural enterprises, the Nomeh facility is being developed as an integrated agricultural system comprising fodder production, a 200-head dairy herd, poultry production of up to 20,000 birds per cycle, fisheries, greenhouse production, processing, mechanisation, renewable energy and practical agricultural training.

Explaining the concept, Okoye said the different components had been deliberately integrated so that they could support one another, with fodder production serving the livestock enterprise, while manure and poultry litter could contribute to energy generation and soil fertility. Surplus fodder could also be converted into silage for use on the farm and supplied to participating farmers.

Okoye said: “The South East Agro-Development Programme is about building productive capacity of the region. We want to demonstrate what agriculture can look like when land, technology, mechanisation, production, processing, training and markets are brought together in one system.”

He stressed that the success of the initiative would not be measured only by activities taking place within the 200-hectare facility, but by the economic opportunities created around it.

“The real impact is what happens around the farm and beyond the farm. It is the young person who acquires a practical skill here and starts a farm elsewhere, the farmer who supplies maize or soya to the feed mill, the dairy farmer who gets technical support and access to a reliable market, and the smallholder farmer who is able to increase production because the ecosystem around them has improved,” he said.

A major component of the programme is the training and out-grower scheme, with the training centre expected to accommodate between 100 and 120 trainees at a time. Participants will receive practical exposure in dairy husbandry, fodder and silage production, poultry, fisheries and farm mechanisation, while the out-grower programme is expected to initially involve about 300 households within a 10-kilometre radius of the farm.

Under the arrangement, participating farmers are expected to have access to inputs, technical assistance and mechanisation services, while the model farm will provide opportunities for aggregation and market access. At maturity, the project is projected to support more than 1,000 direct jobs, in addition to employment and livelihood opportunities through seasonal agricultural activities and the wider out-grower network.

Speaking on behalf of Federal Government, Hon. Momoh said the initiative represented the type of productive and inclusive regional development that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was seeking to promote, particularly in the areas of food production and economic opportunities.

“Today is significant because it represents something bigger than the commencement of an agricultural project. It represents the kind of development the Federal Government is seeking to promote across Nigeria: development that is productive, inclusive, regionally balanced and capable of creating opportunities for our people,” the minister said.

Hon. Momoh added that food security required a complete agricultural ecosystem rather than simply increasing the amount of land under cultivation, stressing that Nigeria must produce, process, create markets, reduce post-harvest losses, improve productivity and incomes, and create opportunities for young people to participate in modern agriculture.

Also speaking, Dr. Wogu said the project represented an important step in translating SEDC’s regional development mandate into practical interventions capable of producing measurable impact, noting that the Commission would continue to work with state governments and other stakeholders.

“Regional development requires partnership. The Commission cannot and should not work in isolation from the state governments, communities, the private sector and development partners. Our responsibility is to create platforms that connect these stakeholders around opportunities that can generate sustainable economic value for the people of the South East,” the former Minister of Labour and Productivity said.

He said the Nomeh facility was intended to serve as a pilot and practical template for SEDC’s wider agricultural and agro-mechanisation interventions across the five South East states. Okoye added, “Nomeh is the starting point. This is a pilot. We want to learn from what we build here, document what works, improve what does not, and replicate the model across the South East in line with our mandate.”

The host community also pledged its support for the initiative, with the President General of Nomeh Unataeze, Dr. Chukwudi Anyianuka, describing the project as an investment in the future of the community and its people. “We welcome this project because we see it as an investment in the future of Nomeh and our people. Our community understands that a project of this scale requires cooperation, responsibility and a shared commitment to its success,” he said.