Sunday Ani
The Founder of Johnbosco Onunkwo Foundation, Mr. Johnbosco Onunkwo, has announced that the formal launching of the $50 million farm project in Anambra State would take place before Christmas celebration.
The project, known as Johnbosco Onunkwo Agribusiness Development Farm Project, which appears to be one of the many initiatives undertaken by the non-profit, humanitarian organization, was established for the development of mechanised agriculture.
According to Mr. Onunkwo, apart from training cooperative farmers on modern ways of crop cultivation to ensure high yield and large scale production, the project aims at granting farmers non-repayable grants to cultivate crops on the irrigated farmlands located at Awa in Orumba North and Umunze in Orumba South Local Government Areas of Anambra State respectively.
He noted that by November 2021, the project would have met the millennium investment goals of the United Nations as it would have tackled food security, hunger and crippling rise in food prices, employment and means of livelihood for the local populace, which would in turn, contribute immensely to agricultural productivity, economic growth and development as well as industrialization of the areas.
Chairman of the Foundation, Mr. Basil Onubeze, described Onunkwo as a visionary and dynamic leader. He said the project comprises fish farming, poultry, livestock and crop production, adding that in the area of crop production, the project would be limited to cucumber, rice, maize and cassava farming.
“For this special project, Onunkwo has acquired about 10 hectares at Awa, Orumba North and Umunze, Orumba South. We started the project which is still on-going with the production of crops like cucumber, maize, cassava and rice. Other aspects of the project such as livestock production will take off immediately after the training of select farmers from Anambra State at Songhai Agricultural Institute, Cotonou. When the trainees return with the knowledge they have acquired, they will in turn train others at the grassroots level. Thereafter, the trainees will be empowered financially to start agricultural production,” Onubeze explained.
Addressing journalists, Onunkwo noted that the multi-million dollars project is expected to employ 5,000 school leavers directly, create wealth, industrialise and open up the host communities with feeder roads, as well as attract direct foreign investments.