The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) is to establish a Cassava Packaging Plant in Ogun, to boost the Cassava value chain.
The Executive Secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne said this in a statement issued on Friday, in Abuja.
Ikonne said that the cassava packaging plant would not only boost job creation for youths in the country, but also complement the Integrated Farm Estates, to be established in the state’s three senatorial zones.
The NALDA helmsman said that the farm estate would promote different agricultural activities that include farming, processing and packaging areas, commodity market, residential areas and schools.
“NALDA is in Ogun to reactivate its 700 hectares land and possibly get more land from the state for the establishment of an Integrated Farm Estate in the state.
“To establish a Garri processing and packaging plant and train graduates with agriculture and science background on soil testing technology.
“The President, Muhammadu Buhari has directed us to create employment and achieve food security through NALDA’s mandate, we are running projects in Ogun as one of the pilot states,” he said.
He said the agency would commence work as soon as the state government provided suitable land for the project.
“Knowing that Ogun has the largest capacity in cassava production, our Garri packaging plant will be located in the state and NALDA will be the off taker for the farmers.
“They will process it and package accordingly and move it into the market, so putting this plant here in Ogun will create more opportunities and encourage farmers to produce more knowing that there will be reward,” he said.
Ikonne also announced that the state government would select 200 young graduates that would be trained on soil testing.
According to him, the projects were avenues for creating thousands of jobs for the youths in the state, because it will touch on the entire Agriculture value chain, from production to processing and marketing.
He noted that the state’s progress in agriculture could not be overlooked and NALDA was there to support and complement their efforts through collaboration and partnership in order to execute the project to its fullest.
Meanwhile, Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun has commended NALDA for choosing his state as one of the pilot states for the Integrated Farm Estates.
Abiodun said the gesture would further complement the state’s agripreneurship drive aimed at creating youth employment.
He said that his state decided to key into President Buhari’s agricultural drive because it was an industrial hub of the country and raw materials were needed to sustain these industries.
“For us, we felt it was important to key into Mr. President’s `grow what you eat and eat what you grow’ programme,’’ he said.
Abiodun also said that Ogun believed in public-private sector partnerships and was working towards creating the enabling environment for such partnerships.
Being the largest cassava producer in the country, he said, the state would benefit immensely from the establishment of the Cassava processing plant. (NAN)
