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By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State Government has inaugurated two agro-processing centres facilitated by the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project to boost farmers’ productivity in the state.
The two agro-processing centres were inaugurated by the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya in Ikorodu area.
The centres were Cottage Broiler Processing Centre at Itamaga and an Egg Aggregation Centre at Erikorodo, Ikorodu.
Speaking during the inauguration, Olusanya, who reiterated the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s commitment to food security in the state, sought support between the government and farmers, especially the poultry farmers to completely bring to an end the importation of chickens and other foods.
She also stressed the importance of supporting Nigeria’s agricultural food chain and the farming community to meet the demands of Lagos, the most populous state in Nigeria, noting that Lagos APPEALS Project has impacted thousands of farmers in the State in the aquaculture, poultry and rice value chains.
The Commissioner said the Lagos State Government would work collaboratively with farmers in different sectors, value chains, and clusters to address the needs of Lagosians and provide substantial support to local farmers.
She said: “Agriculture is a business, and profitability is essential. The government’s focus is on establishing the right food system and market infrastructure to empower farmers to create the right commodities for exchange, thereby addressing price fluctuations and price fixation.
“We import more than we export. We consume from outside more than we produce internally. We need to support the agricultural food system of Nigeria and the farmers at large.
We need to support farmers to produce enough to cater to the needs of Nigerians and Lagosians, which is why Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu believes in the food actors.”
Speaking earlier, the Lagos State Coordinator of the APPEALS Project, Mrs. Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo said the Cottage Broiler Processing Centre at Itamaga and an Egg Aggregation Centre at Erikorodo, Ikorodu were provided for the farmers based on assessment needs to improve their productivity.
Sagoe-Oviebo, while urging the farmers to make good use of the facilities provided by the Lagos APPEALS Project, said the broiler processing centre would address the issue of foreign exchange in importing chicken from the abroad and reduce the cost of production for local production.
Speaking during the inauguration of an Egg Aggregation Centre at Erikorodo in Ikorodu, he Chairperson of the Erikorodo Poultry Estate Farmers Association (EPEFA), Mrs. Ibitoye Juliana, described the commissioning as a historic milestone for farmers in Erikorodo and Ikorodu at large.
