The Enugu State government says it is set to launch its 260 Smart Farm Estates to revolutionise agriculture and get residents to farm.

Mr 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 in Akpawfu, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The state government had earmarked N2 billion in the 2025 budget for the initiative across its 260 political wards.

The initiative is under Mr Mbah’s grassroots agriculture revolution, tagged “One Ward, One Smart Farm Estate.”

Mr Ubru said there was a need for step-down town hall meetings so farmers in council areas could take advantage of the initiative.

He called on individuals, cooperative societies, communities, corporate organisations, and other agencies to key into agriculture and agro-industrialisation businesses like IFAD-VCDP and FADAMA to key into the initiative for collaboration in the people’s interest.

The commissioner explained that the “One Ward, One Smart Farm Estate Initiative” would be a game-changer for the people, as the governor was putting everything in place to ensure people received its maximum benefits.

“It will be done in hectares of land, where all types of farming activities such as crop farming and exotic/economic plants such as cocoa, cassava, 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 One Ward, One Smart Farm Estate initiative will solve so many issues, particularly unemployment among youths in localities, hunger, food insecurity and the knowledge gap on modern agriculture practices, as workshops will be organised at local levels,” Mr Ubru said.

The commissioner expressed satisfaction with the zeal demonstrated by the consultant and his team in the project.

“I must confess that the zeal demonstrated here is in consonance with the aspirations of His Excellency, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, on all projects targeted towards shoring up the state’s economy, especially agriculture and agro-industrialisation projects.

“I am personally happy with the level of security infrastructure placed here, and the state Ministry of Agriculture will always be available for any need to ensure that the success story attained by this pilot farm continues,”  he added.

Corroborating, the senior personal assistant (SPA) on agriculture to the governor, Mike Ogbuekwe, explained that the initiative was meant to diversify the state’s economy through agriculture and agro-industrialisation aimed at shoring up the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR).

“The Smart Farm Estates are expected to grow local needed crops as well as special crops and other agricultural produce for export, such as sorghum and Ose Nsukka, the special aromatic and ornamental yellow pepper of Nsukka,” Mr Ogbuekwe said.

He also informed the commissioner of the approach by Nigerian breweries to the state government to work out a partnership for the supply of sorghum, which was its principal raw material, at the appropriate time.

Contributing, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Victor Ngwu, said there was a need for the staff of the ministry with experience in communication and documentation to be part of the initiative to get reliable data and statistics.

Earlier, the consultant to the Smart Farm Estate pilot project, Friday Nnaji, said the pilot project was 200 hectares of farmland to be allocated to 200 farmers of the local council, with each to grow a specific crop.

“The pilot Smart Farm Estate has two entrance points located at its opposite points, and there will be an unstoppable electricity supply as well as water supply in the smart farm with a plan for irrigation as well as adequate security.

“As you can see, we have commenced the perimeter fencing of the whole farm area, while the central warehouse for the farmers is already constructed above lintel level,” Mr Nnaji said.

(NAN)