Nigeria Launches 200-Hectare Integrated Agricultural Project with Dairy Cattle, Poultry, and Aquaculture Systems

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 23, the South East Development Commission (SEDC) of Nigeria launched a 200-hectare integrated agricultural demonstration project in Nomeh Unataeze, Nkanu East Local Government Area, Enugu State. The project is implemented by SEDC in collaboration with the Enugu State Government, with plans to concentrate dairy cattle farming, poultry, aquaculture, forage cultivation, greenhouses, agricultural product processing, agricultural mechanization, renewable energy, and agricultural training at the same agricultural production base.

The livestock system is planned to accommodate 200 dairy cattle, and production facilities capable of raising up to 20,000 poultry per batch will be built, along with aquaculture infrastructure. On the crop production side, a relatively large-scale forage and silage production area will be established to provide feed sources for dairy cattle and other livestock units, supported by greenhouses and other agricultural production facilities.

The project also includes agricultural product processing, mechanized operations, and renewable energy facilities, enabling crop production, livestock farming, feed, processing, and energy segments to form an integrated linkage within the base. SEDC plans to use this project as a pilot for agricultural mechanization and integrated agricultural development in the Southeast region, and subsequently replicate it in other states in southeastern Nigeria based on operational results.

The base will also establish an agricultural training system. The training center is designed to accommodate approximately 100–120 trainees at a time, with training content covering dairy cattle rearing, forage and silage production, poultry, aquaculture, and agricultural mechanization. Practical teaching will be combined with the agricultural production units operating within the base, enabling trainees to participate directly in relevant production activities.

An "out-grower" farmer collaboration system is also established around the project, initially planned to cover approximately 300 households within a 10-kilometer radius of the base, providing participating farmers with agricultural inputs, technical support, and mechanization services, as well as centralized agricultural product procurement and market linkage through the project base. As production scale expands, the scope of participation will continue to increase.

According to the plan published by SEDC, once the project is fully operational, it is expected to create more than 1,000 direct jobs, with additional labor demand generated through seasonal agricultural production and the surrounding farmer collaboration system. The project has now entered the on-site launch phase, and subsequent construction will focus on livestock facilities, crop production systems, processing facilities, mechanization equipment, the training center, and supporting energy systems.