The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abia State Government to revamp the Ogwe Golden Chicken Farm Estate in the state.
The agency also, in a statement, said the farm estate, when rehabilitated, would employ more than 3,000 youths, adding that the first phase of the project would be inaugurated in December this year.
The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, who signed the MoU with the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, at the weekend in Umahia, said the Ogwe Golden Chicken located in Ukwa East Local Government Area was part of the farm estates President Muhammad Buhari ordered for resuscitation.
Prince Ikonne said his team was in the state to formalise the understanding on the rehabilitation of the poultry farm estate, adding that his agency was partnering with Abia to reduce unemployment in the state.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Abia State Government has made the land available for the facility.
Prince Ikonne stated that: “NALDA programmes are community-based and this one will engage youths in the entire poultry value chain.
“What this means is that Abia will be known for egg production and finished chicken products.
“It will also reduce unemployment because by the time you take away 3,000 people from the job-seeking environment you are automatically creating security, as an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
“Ogwe Golden Chicken is going to have many facilities because the land is over 300 acres and with that size, we will have the processing and hatchery points, residential area, production area in terms of producing feeds, and the packaging area.”
Governor Ikpeazu said the Ogwe Chicken project intervention showed that the federal government had come to operationalise the facility, as the 3,000 persons who would work there would be excited to see the poultry farm estate revamped.
NALDA said 50 fish ponds are being constructed under the agency’s Women in Fishery Programme in the Fish Village in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State.
A similar project is ongoing in Borno State where 50 fish ponds in 10 locations in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, would be inaugurated in October this year.
