Date: 2014-10-07

Shonga Farms model is a clear testimony that agriculture can be pursued as a big business If pursued vigorously and sincerely as a national policy",these are the words of the Group Executive Director, Commercial Business Group, Harmony Holdings Ltd, Alhaji Yinka Yahaya when he led a team of senior executives from the company on a working and familiarization visit to Shonga Farms recently.

Alhaji Yahaya further submitted that the agriculture model can effectively bring an end to the challenge of youths unemployment and under-employment that is currently ravaging Nigeria.

The Group Executive Director, Commercial Business Group who was impressed with the level of activities and investment on the 13,000 hectares of farmland, commended the foresight and initiative of the Kwara State Government in promoting commercial agric which he said was currently assisting in addressing unemployment among youths.

Alhaji Yahaya told the farmers that the purpose of the visit was to assess the level of activities at the farm with a view to keeping the Kwara State Government abreast of developments and challenges at the farm.

He then assured that Harmony Holdings Ltd as the investments holding company of the Kwara State Government was committed to ensuring that the citizens of the state derived the maximum benefit accruable from the farm, which necessitated the willingness of the company to collaborate with the farmers in order to maximize the potentials of the farm.

He encouraged young professionals and other Nigerians within the active age group not only to visit the farm but also seek to replicate what is being practised at the farm.

He therefore called on other states of the federation to replicate the example of Shonga Farms in their respective states.

Earlier, while welcoming the team from Harmony Holdings to the farm, the chairman of the Poultry Group of the Shonga farms, Mr. Piet Du Toit stated that in recognition of the strategic importance of the farm, some governors from other states of the federation had visited the farm, adding that the federal government had also sent delegations with a view to seeing and experiencing Shonga Farms Holding phenomenon.

He stated that the farm had indeed become a reference point for many individuals and government who saw commercial agric as a viable way to enhancing  economy and create employment.

During the tour of the Poultry Farms Group which comprises of four farms, the team was informed that the four farms have two poultry houses each with a capacity to raise 20,000 day old chicks within 30-35 days.

A member of the Poultry Syndicate, Rihunt Farms owned by Mr. Hunter Coetzee, said apart from producing chickens, he also has vast expanse of land on which he cultivated irrigated bananas and pineapples.

The farm, according to him is the major supplier of bananas and pineapple to Shoprite Ilorin, adding that he had plans to expand it in the future.

At the Diary Syndicate which consist of three farms, the team was informed by Mr. Irvine Reid, owner of Rosedale Farms that the current milk output of the group was about 4,000 liters per day, while current total herd is in excess of 1,200 cattle.

Reid also told the team that the farms also currently supplied a large quantity of milk to WAMCO (makers of Peak Milk), and was planning to extend supply to Fan Milk and Nutricima, saying that the total herd currently stands at more than 1,200 cattle.

He also told the team that a new multi-million naira milking facility with large capacity had also been installed by Rosedale Farm, saying that the additional milk to be produced would be used for yoghurt production which would be sold to vendors in Abuja and Lagos.

At Hatty Farms, the team was told that the farms were the major producer of cassava in Nigeria, the team also inspected a cassava planting machine with the capacity of planting 10,000 stem of cassava per day.

Reid disclosed that the farm was presently in collaboration with Austrava Pty Ltd to supply cassava chips to the Peoples' Republic of China, saying that the farm was also presently supplying about 200 tons of fresh cassava tubers to Thai Factory on daily basis.

Also in the team from Harmony Holdings, however, were the Group Executive Director Finance, Mr. Kayode Afolayan, Managing Director Kwara Transport Corporation, Engr. Funso Salau, Ag. Managing Director, Harmony Ventures & Supplies Ltd, Mr. Abdullahi Saliman, General Manager Shonga Farms Holding Ltd, Mr. Bayo Sangobiyi and others.