NALDA Moves to Boost Wheat Production in Adamawa

By James Emejo

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has partnered the Adamawa State Government to boost wheat production in the country.

To this effect, the authority has received land donations for wheat farming in Ribadu village in Fufore Local Government Area of the state.

The efforts by NALDA to improve the production of wheat is expected to boost the growth of the agricultural sector, enhance food security, cut annual import bill of the commodity as well as improve the economic well-being of Nigerians.

The importation of wheat costs the country about $2 billion annually, according to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

However, NALDA is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the communities to perfect the modalities for an integrated farm estate to boost the agricultural sector.

The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, while receiving the land donations from the community over the weekend said the intervention would engage 1000 youths from the community on a two youths per hectare sharing ratio in wheat farming.

He said wheat was strategically selected for its viability in the community and to encourage more people to go into farming of the commodity to satisfy local demand.

Ikonne further stated that President Muhammadu Buhari, who directly supervises the authority, remained committed to empowering the farmers and raising more millionaires through agriculture.

Receiving the land at the Palace of His Royal Highness Dr. Abubakar Aliyu Ribadu, Ikonne said, “What we do is to empower the farmers; the president is interested in raising more millionaires from farming and the agricultural sector and also attracts more people to go into agribusiness.

“When we take possession of this land we would also allocate it to the indigenes, people from your community that you would nominate, our job is to put them through how to go through dry season farming, provide all the inputs and all the support that they need.”

The NALDA boss also explained that the authority would buy back the produce from the farmers to boost their earning and ensure availability of market.

He said,”Most times farmers sell at very low prices because they just want to sell off and get some money but NALDA buying it back from them means they would sell at the right price in order to get value and NALDA would also recoup the investment they have made.

Ribadu, however commended NALDA for the intervention adding that the process of engaging the farmers should be properly carried out to ensure that only genuine farmers benefit from the project.

Meanwhile, land clearing activities is expected to commence by the first week of November 2021 as well as land allocation to selected qualified farmers.

Separately, Ikonne and his team were shown round a land that had been donated to the authority in Sabon Gari, Yolde Pate, in Yola South Local Government.

He said the land was specifically for cow fattening to boost milk and meat production in the state and the country at large.

He further clarified that contrary to erroneous speculations from some sections of the public, NALDA was not interested in taking over lands from the people but concerned about youth empowerment and food security.

He said allegations that NALDA’s farm estates was a ploy by the federal government to convert them to Ruga was particularly misleading.

According to him,”The issue of taking land from people and using it for Ruga is totally misleading, and is not what we should dwell on now.

“What we should focus on is how do we achieve food security because everybody needs food to survive, whether oppositions or no opposition, religion or no religion, tribe or no tribe everybody needs foods.

“And this is the reason why NALDA is advocating and reaching out to communities and villages to make their land available for development n order for Nigeria to achieve food security.”