Arzikin Noma, NALDA Partnership Will Boost Food Security – MD

An agro-allied company, Arzikin Noma has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s food security through a new partnership with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA).

The collaboration, sealed with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the management of a mega farm project, in Ora, Kwara State, is expected to unite the private sector, government agencies, and development partners in addressing food insecurity and inflation while empowering smallholder farmers across the country.

Speaking in Abuja, the group managing director of Arzikin Noma, Michael Adeshola, said the initiative would begin with the opening of farmlands in Ora and be replicated across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. He described the project as a major step toward achieving food sovereignty and ending hunger in Nigeria.

Adeshola explained that Arzikin Noma currently operates across seven key value chains: maize, sorghum, soya, sesame, cowpea, millet, and paddy rice and partners with more than 500,000 model farmers in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Oyo, and Kwara States.

“We are in the business of supporting smallholder farmers with access to finance, knowledge, and modern agricultural techniques such as climate-smart and regenerative farming. Most importantly, we guarantee offtake to ensure farmers have assured markets for their produce, both locally and internationally,” he said.

He added that the company’s collaboration with global organisations such as Nestlé, the World Food Programme (WFP), Cadbury, Flour Mills of Nigeria, and Olam Hybrid reflects its philosophy of promoting the use of local raw materials for local markets.

“Over the years, we have supported women, youth, and vulnerable groups with the tools and resources they need to move from the bottom of the pyramid and participate meaningfully in national development. We believe local solutions are the most sustainable answers to local challenges,” Adeshola noted.

Commending President Bola Tinubu’s administration for prioritising youth participation in agriculture through targeted policies and initiatives, Adeshola described the NALDA partnership as a defining moment for the nation’s agricultural transformation.

“The partnership with NALDA is the most significant development since independence. Access to land has long been a major barrier to agricultural expansion. With NALDA’s plan under Dr. Cornelius Adebayo to open 10 million hectares of land within the next decade, Nigeria is positioned to transform its food production landscape,” he said.