SEDC kickstarts 200-hectare agro-development project

The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has commenced implementation of its South East Agro-Development Programme with the flag-off of a 200-hectare integrated model farm at Nomeh Unateze, Nkanu East, Enugu State.

According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, the initiative was designed as a regional development intervention rather than simply a farming project.

He stated the initiative will integrate dairy, poultry, fisheries, fodder production, mechanisation, processing and practical agricultural training, while connecting surrounding small holder farmers to inputs, technical support and markets through an out-grower programme.

He added that the project reflected SEDC’s broader mandate to strengthen productive capacity and create sustainable economic opportunities across the South East.

He noted that the initiative also aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security, agricultural productivity, mechanisation, value addition and job creation.

Okoye however said that the Nomeh facility will served as a pilot for developing and replicating similar agricultural interventions across the five states of the region, with the broader objective of increasing food production, strengthening agricultural value chains and enabling more people to participate in modern agriculture.