The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has commenced activities on the 10 hectares farm estate in Yobe State with 30,000 day-old birds.

Executive Secretary of NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, who inspected the ongoing construction work at the facility in Dasamu Village, Jakusko Local Government Area of the state at the weekend, said the farm would engage engage 150 youths within the community.

Other activities such as land clearing, crop cultivation and demarcation of selected areas for goat rearing are also currently ongoing at the facility, as the location has attracted farmers from within and outside the state.

Ikonne who noted that the facility would be commissioned next month, explained that the poultry segment which is purely for the reproduction of eggs in commercial quantities, would not just serve the state but many parts of the northern region.

He said, “This farm is purely poultry for egg production. The type of eggs we will be producing here will be reproductive eggs. Not the types that you just consume.

“These ones will go into the incubator for the reproduction of other birds. That is the advantage of this poultry farm. We are bringing eight incubators like what we have in Daura, Katsina State.

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“The incubators will be used to hatch our eggs, as well as for us to keep reproducing and to feed other farms from this place, including farms that are within and outside the state.”

He further said the birds will go out for consumption and another set of layers will come onboard after every period of harvest.

Speaking on other aspects of the farm estate, the NALDA helmsman explained that the facility would have segments for rearing goats, as well as locations for cultivating crops.

“We are bringing in the goat pen, which makes it more inclusive, because we are also using here for rearing a particular specie of goat,” Ikonne said.

He went on, “This is in order to reproduce that specie in this location and the youths will be engaged in doing that. So this is a farm estate because at the end of the day you will have a finished products department, as well as egg and goat production sections.”

Ikonne further noted that NALDA had rice farms in two other locations in the state, adding that the tractors deployed for the farms were also being used to support farmers across the Local Government Area.

On his part, the Yobe State Farm Supper Manager for NALDA, Haruna Gambo, said the facility had started receiving volunteers, while youths and other residents of the community had pledged to ensure the sustainability of the estate.

“We have started engaging youths in the community. We now have volunteers who assist in managing the birds. About 30,000 birds have been moved to site. The community has also assured us of the sustainability of this project,” Gambo stated.