To improve food security, the Lagos State Government has opened two agro-processing centers for SMEs in the state’s Ikorodu district.
During the inauguration on Friday, Ms Abisola Olusanya, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, asked for collaboration and assistance from farmers, particularly poultry producers, to cease the importation of chickens and other food products.
The Lagos Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement, and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project facilitated the projects, which included a Cottage Broiler Processing Centre in Itamaga and an Egg Aggregation Centre in Erikorodo, Ikorodu.
Olusanya reaffirmed the administration of Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to food security.
She also emphasized the need of supporting Nigeria’s agricultural food chain and farming community in order to meet the demands of Lagos, Nigeria’s most populated state.
The Lagos APPEALS Project, according to the commissioner, has impacted thousands of farmers throughout the state’s aquaculture, poultry, and rice value chains.
Olusanya stated that the Lagos State Government would collaborate with farmers in various sectors, value chains, and clusters to fulfill the needs of Lagosians and provide significant support to local farmers.
Agriculture, she believes, is a business, and profitability is critical.
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“The government’s priority is to build the right food system and market infrastructure to enable farmers to produce the right commodities for exchange.”
“As a result, price fluctuations and price fixation are addressed.”
“We import significantly more than we export.” We consume more from outside than we generate.
“We must support Nigeria’s agricultural food system and farmers in general.”
“We need to support farmers to produce enough to cater to the needs of Nigerians and Lagosians, which is why Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu believes in the food actors,” she went on to say.
Earlier, Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, the Lagos State Coordinator of the APPEALS Project, stated that the centers were established for farmers based on a needs assessment in order to increase their output.
According to Sagoe-Oviebo, the broiler processing center will handle the issue of foreign exchange in chicken importation while also lowering local production costs.
She advised farmers to take advantage of the Lagos APPEALS Project’s resources.
Mrs Ibitoye Juliana, Chairperson of the Erikorodo Poultry Estate Farmers Association, also termed the inauguration as a historic moment for farmers in Erikorodo and Ikorodu in general.
She thanked the Lagos State Government and the APPEALS project for improving the road network in the Erikorodo Estate, which had boosted their companies.
“This aggregation centre is another evidence of your support for us farmers in adding value to our produce and contributing more towards the food security of our dear Lagos State,” she went on to say.
In addition, Bartholomew Akhigbe, Chairman of the Cluster group, stated that the processing center would increase productivity and aid farmers in their efforts to phase out imported chicken.
Akhigbe praised the Lagos APPEALS Project for assisting chicken farmers with the processing center, saying it will improve and increase their output.
Olusanya has previously established the Eko Farmers APPEALS Cooperative Multipurpose Society and the Frozen Catfish Cottage Industry.
The APPEALS Project also provided a blast freezer, deep freezer, and generator to the Lagos State Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria in order to increase farmer production and ensure food security in the state.
Source: pluse
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