The Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization, Mr. Patrick Ubru, says the state government is set to launch its 260 smart farm estates meant to revolutionise agriculture and get residents back to the farm.
Ubru said this on Monday, while leading a team of inspectors on behalf of Governor Peter Mbah, to the site of the smart farm estate pilot project at Akpawfu, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
It would be recalled that the state government had earmarked N2 billion in the 2025 budget, for smart farm estates initiative across its 260 political wards in the 17 council areas in the state.
The initiative is under Gov. Mbah’s grassroots agriculture revolution tagged: “One ward, one smart farm estate.’’
Ubru said that there is a need for step-down town hall meetings for farmers in council areas to take advantage of the initiative, adding “time should not be wasted in organising the town hall meeting with the targeted farmers.”
He called on individuals, cooperative societies, communities, corporate organisations and other agencies in the state, that into agriculture and agro-industrialisation business to key into the initiative for collaboration in the interest of the people.
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The commissioner said the ‘one ward, one smart farm estate initiative’ will be a game-changer for the people of the state, as Gov. Mbah is putting everything in place to ensure that the people get the maximum benefits.
“It will be done in hectares of land, where all types of farming activities such as crop farming and exotic/economic plant such as cocoa, casava, sorghum, vegetables, exotic pepper and spices, among others will be practiced.
“The state government will actively collaborate with local government councils to ensure that the initiative works efficiently as well as engage the people, especially youths, in each locality to participate in the initiative as it holds lots of benefits.
”The initiative will solve so many issues, particularly, unemployment among youths in localities, hunger, food insecurity and knowledge gap on modern agriculture practices as workshops will be organised at local levels,” Ubru said.
