Kunle Adelabu
-Beneficiaries laud support
The Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, has flagged – off the Agricultural Value Chains Support Programme, for farmers across the 20 Local Government and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.
The Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, monitored the distributions of the agriculture inputs, products and materials, to farmers and others dealing in fisheries, as part of the government’s support and means of ensuring food security in the state, at a ceremony held at the Ikorodu Local Government Secretariat on Thursday, May 11, 2023.
At the event were: His Royal Majesty, Alaiyeluwa (Oba) Engr. Kabir Adewale Shotobi, Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Agriculture, Dr Oluwarotimi Fashola, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Olatokunbo Emokpae, Chairman, Ikorodu Local Government Council, Mr Wasiu Adesina, and among other dignitaries.
According to Ms. Olusanya, 20, 000 farmers are targeted to benefit from the 120 farming clusters/communities across the state.
“The 2022 Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation and Farmers’ Support Programme, which is being flagged off today (Thursday), was designed to provide agricultural inputs and production assets to 120 fishing and farming clusters/communities across the twenty (20) Local Governments of the State. 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”, she said.
“I express profound appreciation to Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State, for his immense support for agricultural development in the State.
“It is my belief that all our fisherfolks and farmers in the beneficiary clusters and communities will make the best use of the inputs received towards the overall development of Agriculture in Lagos State.
The Honourable Commissioner, who said that the attainment is an integral part of the Gov. Sanwo – Olu’s administration, added that her ministry is implementing a 5 – year plan to mobilise stakeholders in the development of the sector.
“The attainment of food security is a major policy thrust of this 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 4th Pillar of Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy”, she said.
“In this direction, the Ministry developed a five (5) Year Agricultural and Food System Roadmap to galvanize 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% of demand to 40% by the year 2025. In this direction, the Ministry is implementing a number of programmes and projects to facilitate the attainment of this vision, creates jobs, and promotes livelihood sustenance for the Value Chain Actors”, she said.
Ms. Olusanya also stated that the government has introduced some measures to improve food production by sustaining interest in farming, especially that of the younger generations.
“It is in the wake of this fact, that the Ministry partnered with innovative companies to introduce technology in agriculture, especially the upstream sector. This is evidenced by the recently launched Tractor-on-the-Go project which is a tractor-hailing service designed to facilitate easy and affordable access to mechanization services through applications installed in mobile phones and integrated agricultural projects implemented in the state secondary schools tagged, ‘Lagos Agric Scholars Programme’s, to stimulate the interest of school children in agriculture”, she said.
“Other youth-centered efforts include the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme with the goal of training 15,000 youths with a passion for agriculture of which 3,000 have been successfully trained, and plans are being put in place to train an additional 1,200 youths this year.
“Aside from these, this Administration has trained 51,476, and empowered 25,691 women and youths in different agricultural value chains, such as the Cage & Pen Culture, Poultry, Rice Production, Snailery, Bee Keeping, Coconut Arts & Craft amongst others, using various government platforms”, she said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture (Rice Mill Initiative), Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, also speaking, said that about 17,000 farmers have so far benefitted from the exercise since 2014 when the programme started, stating that this year’s edition was designed to provide the needs of farmers.
“This programme commenced in 2014, and so far, a total of 16,466 farmers, fishermen, agro-processors, butchers and marketers have benefitted from its implementation with corresponding impacts on agricultural productivity in the State”, he said.
“This year’s edition of the programme, which is implemented on a communal basis, is tailored to addressing the needs expressed by fisherfolks and farmers in fishing and farming clusters/communities across the fifty-seven (57) Local Government and Local Council Development Areas of the State. This is to aid food production, processing and preservation towards enhanced livelihood for the fisherfolks and farmers.
“I implore all beneficiaries of this programme to cooperate with each other in the utilization of the inputs so that maximum impacts are derived for the overall benefit of Lagosians”, he appealed.
The Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba Shotobi, in his remarks, expressed his delight at the large number of lkorodu residents who are into farming.
While commending the state government for the intervention, Oba Shotobi also assured farmers of more support from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, benefitting farmers have lauded the government’s gesture which many of them that spoke with THE IMPACT said would go a long way in assisting their productions.
Mrs Samuel Esther, Coordinator, Igbokuta Vegetable Farms, speaking on behalf of her group, said:
“On behalf of other members of the group, I am very grateful. We are seeing the hard work of the government in agriculture which is to encourage us. Through this initiative, we will be able to have more production”, she said.
“Though, we expected more than the tractors being provided by the government, to aid our farming and make it bigger, but we are appreciative of this gesture and we will make good use of them. By God’s grace, we will not put them to shame for the little that we have received today. Greater we would produce and receive more from them”.
Coordinator, LASUSTECH Farmers’ Cluster that deals in vegetables, maize and other farm produce, Mr Olujimi Fayode Oduyebo, also speaking with our reporter, said:
“I so much thank the state government for helping farmers. We have been abandoned for a very long time, but this present administration has shown that they really want food to be sufficient for all the people in the state. I discovered that our Commissioner for Agriculture, has serious interest in farming and she has the idea of the whole thing”,he said.
“ However, where I want the government to go further is to make available some important implements to replace the local ones that we are using. The world has advanced and if you get to China, you will discover that somebody with a hand machine can plough a farm of three acres alone without engaging labourers and such person would not be tired and would also successfully do his planting.
“I want them to organize us into mechanized farming and by doing so, it would be a very good assistance for the farmers and the state as a whole. The machines are affordable and can be distributed to individual farmers instead of buying tractors. Such an idea would boost the morale of old farmers and encourage the young ones that are interested in farming”, he said.
In his own response, Coordinator, Voice of Nigeria Vegetable farmers, Mr Afolabi Adebayo Sharafa, said:
“We really appreciate this gesture; we appreciate the Lagos State Government for remembering us. It is coming at the right time because this is the time that we are about to start planting”, he said.
“May God continue to enrich the Ministry and the state, so that they will continue to remember us. This is a good gesture. We really appreciate it”.
