About 500 hectares of the UACN marquis form have been planted with maize. The marquis farm is the fourth of UACN’s agricultural projects and the second to come on stream. The form has over 700 hectares of farmland.
These facts were disclosed to The Republic by UACN public affairs manager, Mr. Regis Onuoha.
According to him, the Marquis farm is an integrated arable, animal feed and pig production complex. He said, “we have on this farm one of the most modern meat processing factories in Nigeria due to be commissioned sometimes this year.” The farm, he added also has one of the most modern abattoirs for cattle and pig slaughtering.
Onuoha said that the UACN maize farm has been selected as one of the sites for the Nigerian Maize Programme run by the National Cereals Research Institute, Moore Plantation, Ibadan, as part of the national maize testing scheme.
The public affairs boss disclosed that UACN will plant cowpeas as soon as the maize is harvested because of the advantages of the soil on the farm. He said that it is expected that the harvesting of the new crops will be in November this year.
He further said that to accomplish all these goals, up to dat modern equipment are needed and must be kept constantly in good working order.
Continuing, Onuoha emphasied that it is not enough to buy these machines, they must be kept in serviceable conditions.
According to him, the UACN Marquis farm has equipment workshop with trained machines who not only service the machines but are equipped and experienced enough to dismantle and put together any of the tractors or equipment on the farm.
The highly equipped feed mill, The Republic further learnt, processes feeds for pigs. The bulk of the materials used for animal feeds are from the farm.
UACN efforts at is marquis farm are geared to producing raw materials and finished products simultaneously.
The farm is currently producing high quality pork products which serve as raw materials for food divisions of the company.
