National Land Development Agency (NALDA) has commenced the 2023 farming season harvest across its farms with high yield recorded in Benue, Nasarawa, Niger and Oyo states, respectively.
The farms were established in collaboration with private and public institutions across the six geopolitical zones with the aim to boost the nation’s supply of grains for significant effect on the downstream value chains of poultry feed and other food items.
A tour of the harvest activities across the farm sites showed that the harvests are expected to reduce the gap between domestic production and demand of rice and maize.
In Bauchi State, maize harvest is ongoing at the NALDA farm estate located at Galambi, with over 150 metric tonnes of maize expected at the end of the harvest.
The state NALDA coordinator, Jalaludeen Muhammad Mu’Azu, told journalists that the entire farm operation was fully mechanised, with a 400-litre capacity boom sprayer and other machines for weeding and harvesting.
There’s also ongoing harvest at the 150-hectare NALDA mechanised rice farm in Gboko, Benue State with two combined harvesters, tractors, and other machines for bagging chores.
NALDA expects to harvest significant metric tonnes of paddy rice from the farm.
Head of engineering department, Engr Owolabi Olusegun, expressed optimism about the level of mechanisation on the farms and appealed to the federal government to invest more in NALDA to ensure food self-sufficiency.
Speaking to journalists, Benue State NALDA coordinator, Asom William, stated that the farm recorded good success due to the deployment of farm equipment adding that it has also drawn the willingness of youth to join the volunteer workforce.
Harvest has also begun on 85 hectares maize farm in Tunga Gana, Paikoro, Niger State with potential yield of more than 100 metric tonnes of maize.
The state administration of NALDA, Illiya Bala Manta, described the ongoing harvest as very good due to the mechanised process of the entire process which she said has attracted a lot of interest from the youth in the community.
Manta said, “Majority of what we are doing here is mechanised, but we have also engaged approximately 50 women who will help assemble maize in areas where we may face obstacles with the machines. We have also involved about 100 youths from the beginning of field preparation until harvest depending on the operations”.
Harvesting, bagging and storing of rice and maize are also ongoing in Nasarawa and Oyo states.
