The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has reiterated the commitment of the Sanwo-Olu Administration to ensuring food security for Lagosians by maximising opportunities available to farmers in the State and leveraging on technology.
Hamzat stated that the State’s engagement with the World Bank to obtain $200 million Intervention Fund for Agro-processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support roject is to leverage on the three main areas of focus – Aquaculture, Poultry and Rice.
Dr. Hamzat, who chairs the State’s Steering Committee for APPEALS, indicated that the project development objective is to enhance Agricultural Productivity of Small and Medium Scale Farmers and ensure value chain development in the three identified areas.
While noting that the essence of the project is for the State Government to assist its farmers improve and adopt value chain plans of production, processing and preservation, Hamzat stressed that the State Government, through the project, targets 10,000 farmers of which 35 per cent must be women, 10 per cent people living with disability and the youths.
The Deputy Governor further disclosed that farmers and cooperatives involved in the project will form alliances linking farmers to markets through off-takers and local processors, a situation that will lead to food sufficiency.
According to him: “So if we are doing X today, we want to do X plus Y where Y is the positive integer, which means we want to increase the capacity, the production, the processing.”
He noted that Lagos has limited land space, but explained that with the adoption of technology, there can be a significant improvement in productivity of the farmers, observing that production of egg powder is able to assist poultry farmers to increase their productivity and boost business.
The Deputy Governor averred that with the little available in the State, it can maximise its productivity with technology and better savings if “at least we produce and can also process. We can’t depend on other people for our food. We must be able to become self-sufficient.”
Top government officials present at the event included Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan Lawal; Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Dr. Lola Akande; Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bolaji Dada; Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya; and National Project Coordinator, Dr. Amin Babaji.
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