Precious Nwonu, Enugu
The South East Development Commission has commenced the development of a 200-hectare integrated agricultural project in Nomeh Unataeze, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The project, being implemented under the Commission’s South East Agro-Development Programme, is expected to create more than 1,000 direct jobs when fully operational.
The initiative is being developed in partnership with the Enugu State Government and is designed to combine agricultural production with mechanisation, processing, skills development and access to markets.
The project will feature dairy farming, poultry, fisheries, greenhouse cultivation, fodder production, agro-processing, renewable energy and practical agricultural training.
At the flag-off ceremony on Wednesday, the Enugu State Deputy Governor, Ifeanyi Ossai, who represented Governor Peter Mbah, said the project demonstrated the potential of collaboration between government institutions to address food security, employment and economic diversification.
Ossai said the state government was committed to creating an enabling environment for productive investments and would support the initiative to ensure that it benefits farmers, young people and the wider economy.
The project differs from conventional farms focused on a single agricultural commodity, as its various components are designed to operate as an interconnected production system.
Plans for the facility include a 200-head dairy herd, poultry production capacity of up to 20,000 birds per cycle, fisheries infrastructure, fodder cultivation, silage production, processing facilities and agricultural demonstration centres.
The integrated model is expected to enable the different sections of the farm to share infrastructure and reduce waste.
Fodder cultivated on the farm will be used to support livestock, while animal manure and poultry waste could be utilised for soil improvement and energy production.
Surplus fodder will also be processed into silage for use within the facility and supply to participating farmers.
The project will provide shared facilities for feed production, water supply, farm machinery and processing, with the aim of connecting agricultural production to value addition and markets.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the project was conceived to demonstrate how technology, mechanisation, skills and market access could transform agricultural production in the region.
He said the success of the project would not be measured solely by activities within the 200-hectare facility but by its impact on surrounding communities and farmers.
Okoye said the project would provide opportunities for young people to acquire practical agricultural skills, while farmers would benefit from access to inputs, technical assistance, mechanisation and markets.
A training and out-grower scheme is also planned as part of the initiative.
The training centre is expected to accommodate between 100 and 120 trainees at a time, with courses covering dairy production, fodder and silage production, poultry, fisheries and agricultural mechanisation.
Under the initial out-grower programme, about 300 households located within a 10-kilometre radius of the facility are expected to participate.
The number of participating households is expected to increase as production capacity expands.
Farmers involved in the programme will have access to agricultural inputs, technical support and mechanisation services, while the project will provide opportunities for aggregation and market access.
SEDC said fodder growers would receive planting materials, agronomic assistance, mechanisation and harvesting support, while dairy farmers would benefit from technical assistance, improved breeding services, feed and silage.
Similar support arrangements are expected to be extended to poultry and fish farmers in surrounding communities.
The Commission estimates that the project will support more than 1,000 direct jobs when it reaches full maturity, with additional employment expected through seasonal farming, processing and the wider network of participating farmers.
Speaking on behalf of the Federal Government, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, described the project as an example of the type of productive and regionally balanced development the government seeks to promote.
Momoh said increasing food production required more than expanding cultivated land, stressing the importance of processing, market access, improved productivity and reducing post-harvest losses.
He said the government’s objective was to develop an agricultural system capable of creating value and employment throughout the production chain.
The Chairman of SEDC, Emeka Wogu, said partnerships with state governments, host communities, private investors and development organisations would remain central to the Commission’s regional development strategy.
He said the Commission’s role was to create platforms that bring stakeholders together around projects capable of generating sustainable economic opportunities in the South East.
The Nomeh project is expected to serve as a pilot for similar agricultural and agro-mechanisation projects across the five South East states.
Okoye said the Commission would assess the lessons from the project before adapting and replicating the model in other locations.
The five states covered by the SEDC are Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
The President-General of Nomeh Unataeze, Chukwudi Anyianuka, welcomed the project, saying the community was ready to cooperate with the Commission, the Enugu State Government and other stakeholders.
He said the initiative could create new economic opportunities for young people and farmers in the community.
SEDC said the host community would remain an important stakeholder throughout the implementation and long-term operation of the project.
The Commission added that beyond agricultural production, the facility would provide opportunities for skills acquisition, employment, farmer integration and the development of stronger agricultural value chains across the region.
