The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) says it is committed to boosting agriculture in Abia.
Mr Paul Ikonne, Executive Secretary of NALDA, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Tope Ojeme, the agency’s Director of Communications.
Ikonne gave the assurance when he led a delegation to the Government House in Umuahia.
He expressed the readiness of the agency to partner with the state government to resuscitate the Ogwe Golden Chicken farm.
Ikonne said that the mandate of the agency was to ensure availability of food, adding that it had rolled out the Back to Farm and National Young Farmers Schemes.
Ikonne stressed that Abia had been selected as one of the pilot states for the schemes in the country.
He gave an assurance that NALDA would provide technical support, training and inputs to encourage farmers to produce enough food for the country.
The executive secretary, however, urged communities to make land available for farming,
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, on his part, said that the state was willing to partner with NALDA to revive the Ogwe Golden Chicken farm.
Ikpeazu noted that his administration was building cottage industries in the 17 local government areas of the state.
He also said that his administration was working toward making the state a major food processing hub.
The governor added that he was already mainstreaming agriculture for job creation and provision of raw materials.
He pledged to work with NALDA in critical areas that would ensure value addition.
Ikpeazu, however, called for urgent intervention to tackle the gully erosion increasingly ravaging arable lands in the state.
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