President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday directed the executive secretary of the National Agricultural Lands Development Authority (NALDA), Paul Ikonne to procure 5 additional agricultural spraying aircrafts to accelerate agricultural mechanisation.
This comes as the President lauded the achievements recorded by the agency in driving his administration’s policy of food security, job creation and agricultural mechanisation.
The new aircrafts upon delivery are expected to be distributed across the five geo-political zones in addition to the existing one and are mostly used for aerial application of pesticides, fertilizer and hydroseeding.
In continuation of his administration series of scorecards, through NALDA yesterday in Abuja, the president who was represented by the secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha said his government has procured various equipment for agricultural mechanisation including tractors, combined harvesters, pumping machines, surveillance and spraying drones.
He said NALDA under his watch within the two years of resuscitation has been achieving results that are directly and positively affecting the people especially from the rural areas in line with his vision of seeing Nigeria lead in agricultural development.
Unveiling the achievements further, the President added that several professionals in different fields of agriculture have been trained and equipped to offer services in the needed areas, including youth and women who have been trained and empowered in the fields of mechanised agriculture, poultry farming, fisheries, etc.
He said “I promised Nigeria that I will use the National Agricultural Lands Development Authority to achieve food security and agricultural mechanisation, what you are seeing here today, is one of the numerous achievements of this administration in fulfillment of the promises made.
The equipment you are seeing here today are part of the ones already procured by NALDA, in addition to this spraying aircraft , I am directing the executive secretary of NALDA to procure additional 5 Aircrafts in order to have each geopolitical zone covered”.
“I am proud that my administration will be bequeathing lasting legacies to the next administration with NALDA being a clear example. I believe that after having resuscitated NALDA, my successors will build on its legacies in order for Nigeria to achieve food sufficiency in no distant time.
‘’I charged the chief executive secretary of NALDA and his team to pursue this mandate vigorously without any discrimination, fear or favour being an agency under the presidency, today, I thank the executive secretary of NALDA and his team for making these dreams a reality,” he added.
Earlier NALDA’S executive secretary told journalists that the President has laid a strong foundation for the agency to function effectively with over 50, 000 farmers excluding women who have so far benefited from crops and livestock production.
He disclosed that the agency is currently planting 500 hectares of dry season wheat in Adamawa, Yobe, Jigawa, Gombe and Taraba states in a move to accelerate food production ahead 2023.
