South East to witness massive agricultural revolution
Unemployment to be reduced Raw materials for manufacturing available Farm settlement centers to be restored
In a move to reduce the lingering food crisis, poverty and youth unemployment in the country and restore farm settlement particularly in the South East, a firm known as Ezelukwu Ventures Nigeria Ltd in collaboration with Justcorn Agricultural Development Service based in the United states of America(USA) has embarked on full scale mechanized agriculture in the South East .
The company when in full scale production will among other things boost food production, engage the youths in gainful employment and also produce raw materials for some industries and pharmaceutical companies in the country.
Austine Nnadozie Nnodim, managing director and chief executive office MD/CEO said in an interview. “We intend to produce by-products from food grains to sustain industries like breweries, pharmaceuticals, drug companies, paint manufacturing firms, baking industries etc. The value chain of cassava, corn and soya beans will generate revenue than what we are getting from oil now and will generate more employment for our teeming youths”.
He also disclosed that the firm had already acquired over 21,000 hectares of land in the Southeast for the proposed project which would also be involved in the production of local raw material for industries and we intend to go into biofuel production in the second phase of our planning and full-scale production “.
Nnodim, a renowned consultant and an agricultural expert from Emekuku in the Owerri North LGA of Imo state that, the Ezelukwu Ventures Nigeria limited with its partner Justcorn Agricultural Development Services in this venture had entered into agreement with the concerned bodies .
A steering committee on the project from Okigwe local government headed by Dr. Charles Umezuruike had been inaugurated with Fabian Nwosu as the liaison officer covering the two communities of Umulolo and Agbaobu from where some parcels of land were got.
Given the size of the land acquired for the project, Nnodim said that within the first years of operation, harvest and production, the organization is hopeful of creating at least 2000 job opportunities and 6000 within the next three years because the firm would by then go into full scale production.
The company would massively produce cassava whose value, he said is greater than that of oil and from which Nigeria would earn more than it earns from oil, plant, maize, soya beans, biofuel, raw material for pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries, breweries, animal food and feed and breweries as well as food grains.
“The expectation is very high while the challenges are quite enormous because the South East occupies the forest region and going into mechanized farming in this is not going to be a tea party. This is because we are going to clear a highly wooded area into an agro field for planting of desired crops, creating roads, and construction of farms are basically the main challenges”, he said.
Nnodim said that the company would not be deterred by these challenges as they would be tackled case by case as they come. If the South east decides to go into mechanized farming, we are going to generate employment, revenue for the communities, LGAs and the states through royalties and equity shares.
When we succeed in our projected employment opportunities, we would have gone very far in alleviating poverty, reducing the level of crime and insecurity in the South East and the nation at large, he added .
He went further, “It is that over the years, our contemporary politicians are no longer showing seriousness in agriculture, though they are interested but they pay lip service to it”.
He called on well-meaning, reasonable, trusted Imo indigenes, business men and women who are interested in agricultural revolution in the country especially in the through mechanized farming to come on board and partner with the company to make its vision a reality and “we want to bring farm settlement in the South East.