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By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured Nigerian that the various interventions of his administration in agriculture will soon put an end to exorbitant cost of food items experienced in the state.
The governor gave the assurance at the flag-off of distribution of agricultural productive assets and inputs under the 2021 Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation Programme. He said breaking the shackles of dependency on foreign countries for food supplies, was in line with his administration’s THEMES agenda for job and wealth creation as well as food sufficiency.
He said the determination to increase food production in the state from the current 20 per cent to at least 50 per cent of demand by 2025 has been emboldened given the disruption in the supply chain of food across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of zoonotic diseases.
Over 3,000 agri-preneurs were empowered at the event by the governor, yesterday.
Sanwo-Olu said the empowerment scheme was a demonstration of commitment to the development, expansion and growth of agriculture in Lagos through the provision of tools, deploying innovation and creativity that would make it easier for farmers to grow high quality crops thereby raising their inputs to feed Lagosians and Nigerians as well.
The governor said his government was putting in place various interventions which included wholesale agriculture hub, urging farmers, youths and beneficiaries to work hard to nurture their businesses to maturity by building a sustainable wealth.
“We have emerged wiser and more determined to succeed in creating and nurturing a viable agribusiness sector in Lagos State. We may be Nigeria’s smallest state by land mass, lacking the large tracts of land available to others, but we will not allow that to stand in the way of our vision.
“We will maximise the little we have, while also deploying the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit we are known for, to create new opportunities to feed ourselves and feed Nigeria, and create economic growth and prosperity through agriculture,” he said.
