Lagos Agric ministry to harness potential of food system actors for increased IGR

Supervisor for Agriculture, Surulere Local Council, Adehinde Labinjo (left); Chief Task Force, Lagos Live Bird Marketers, Mrs. Esther Ilori; Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya; President, Lagos State Live Birds Marketers, Osoba Olusola and Vice Chairman, Surulere Local Council, Adewale Dosunmu, during the presentation of Truck to the Lagos State Fowl Sellers Cooperative Agricultural Multipurpose Society Limited, during the distribution of Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Support Programme, held at Surulere local council premises.

The Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture has promised to harness the potential of food system actors to scale up the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), through improved service and delivery of specific interventions to boost agricultural value chains and enhance food security.

Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, said this at the flag off ceremony of the 2022 Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation and Farmers’ Support Programme designed to support 20,000 farmers in 120 farming and fishing clusters across the 20 Local Councils and 37 Local Council Development, with inputs and production assets.

The initiative, according to Olusanya, was part of the comprehensive plans of the state government to drive food security by supporting farming and farmers to thrive, thereby giving a quantum leap to the potential of the players in the Lagos food system.

She said a needs assessment was conducted by officials of the ministry to get the view of farmers as to the required production assets to boost farming, and that the inputs distributed were as a result of their responses.

“In all, over 20,000 fisherfolks and farmers will benefit from the programme while budgetary provision has been made to accommodate a larger number of Value Chain Actors in the 2023 edition of the programme.

“I express profound appreciation to Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State for his immense support to agricultural development in the State.”

She said the attainment of food security had consistently been a major policy thrust of the Sanwo-Olu-led administration given its relevance in promoting the health and well-being of citizens and the achievement of the State Government’s THEMES Agenda, especially the fourth Pillar of Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.

“In this direction, the ministry developed a five Year Agricultural and Food System Roadmap to galvanise public, private, and donor agency efforts in the development of agriculture in the state’s economy.

“The roadmap also provides solutions for the wholesomeness of food items, reduction in post-harvest losses, and improving linkages with industry with respect to backward integration, as well as access to financial services and markets. This is expected to scale food production from the present 20 per cent of demand to 40 per cent by the year, 2025,” Olusanya said.