Governor Of Enugu Leases 15,000 Hectares For Food Production
The lease of 15,000 hectares of land for agricultural production in the Isi-Uzo local government area has been approved by Peter Mbah, the governor of Enugu State.
The approval is one of the steps taken to guarantee the state's food sufficiency and security.
The farmland would be used specifically for the industrial cultivation of cassava, rice, maize, banana plantations, oil palm production, yam, and other produce, according to the state government, which also formed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the company by executing a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Speaking at the Government House in Enugu following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Mbah referred to the collaboration as a critical step in fulfilling the government's pledge to establish a supportive climate for agro-industrialization.
The governor, who was represented by the secretary to the state government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, said the government was expecting to see those milestones earlier agreed with the farms, adding that an increased yield in the state production will increase Enugu's gross domestic products (GDP).
He emphasized that the state's arable land gives it both comparative and competitive advantages in some mainstream crops, which would also increase employment and the spending power of the populace.
Alhaji Sanni Nnaji, the chief executive officer of Ugwuanama Farms Limited, had earlier revealed that the company has begun large-scale production and farming. “As we are producing, we will also be processing. Our target is to crash the cost of food so that we have cheap food affordable for everyone to eat.
“Again, our aim is to get our growers, get youths, women back to farm. Apart from 15000 hectares, I have done it in Isi-uzo with 1,500 farmers and we are going to increase our workforce. We are going to have over 5,000 farmers cultivating their own farmlands. We already established a cassava processing plant in Isi- Uzo and we have cultivated cassava of more than 1000 hectares. So, when cassava is due for processing, we will start cultivation immediately.”
Nnaji stated that their primary areas of focus were the production of rice, cassava, oil palm, maize, and yams, although they expressed interest in growing their crops and output.
Nnaji clarified that they anticipated creating between 200,000 and 300,000 employment over the course of the following two years.
Regarding the farms' management, he mentioned that they intended to hire foreigners for their specialized knowledge. “We have a lot of partners who are coming. We are bringing in a lot of machines. We are going to develop a very good smart farm in Isi-Uzo.”
Engineer Patrick Ubru, the commissioner for agriculture and agroindustrialization, stated that the state government had made sure that there was sufficient security (a military installation) in the Isi-Uzo council area to protect people's lives and property.
He continued by saying that enough was being done by the administration to derisk investment flow and make the state appealing to investors. “The government is acquiring the land, making it available for farmers in commercial quantity, and also creating access road to facilitate movements.”
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