23rd May, 2016
Mr Michael Eneh, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said on Monday that the Enugu State Government has allocated 750 hectares of arable land for commercial agriculture programme for youths and women in the state.
The commissioner made the disclosure in an interview with NAN on Monday in Enugu.
According to him, “contracts have been awarded by the state government for the clearing of a total of 750 hectares of land for commercial agriculture in the state. “On completion, the land will be segmented into three-hectare plots for allocation to youths and women to undertake commercial food cultivation.”
He listed the communities to include Ogbeke – 50 hectares; Oduma – 50 hectares; Ogulogu – 100 hectares; Akpugo-Eze – 50; Owo – 50 hectares and Nnewe – 100 hectares.
Others are Ikem – 50 hectares; Agkuibeje – 50 hectares; Oghu – 50 hectares; Eha Amufu – 100 hectares; Obimo – 50 hectares and Amangunze – 50 hectares.
Eneh also disclosed that the state government had purchased 20 tractors with complete sets of implements for each of the tractors at the total cost of N175.3 million.
“The tractors are to be given to young agricultural/engineering graduates to render tractor hiring services to farmers, especially those farmers at the green cities (arable planting areas), where commercial agriculture is being practiced, on a cost recovery basis for sustainability.
“The beneficiaries will be required to pay back the subsidised cost of the tractors and its implements over a period of six years,”