Lagos Food Production Centres To Boost Self Sufficiency Commissioner

Nigeria - Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya has said that the two upgraded Food Production Centres at Badagry and Araga would help boost the food sufficiency status as well as reduce dependence on other States for food. Olusanya, who made this known at a media briefing in commemoration of the second anniversary of the State Government, noted that the present administration would continue to treat agriculture as a combination of business and development platform. According to her, such treatment would enable the State concentrate on the value chains where it has a comparative advantage, as well as develop strategic partnerships that would stimulate investments.

She said, "The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration has shown utmost commitment to boost its self-sufficiency status by building a food production system that is sustainable, so that we can begin to grow our food and reduce our dependence on other States, through the establishment and renovation of Lagos Food Production Centres". "The Agric-YES facilities at Badagry and Araga, Epe have now been upgraded to Lagos State Food Production Centres to increase food production in the State. At full capacity, the centres will produce 62,250 birds for egg production per cycle; 104,000 birds for meat production per cycle; 267.6 tonnes of fish per cycle and 25 tonnes of assorted vegetables per cycle”, Olusanya asserted.

The Commissioner pointed out that the Five-Year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap, which the State Government launched recently, would also help to reform, transform and maximise the potentials of the agricultural sector in the State.

She stated that other projects such as the Lagos Aquaculture Centre for Excellence (LACE), the 32 metrictonne per hour rice mill in Imota and the development of fish clustering ecosystems would further help build a sustainable food production system.

Olusanya added that the proposed Lagos Aquaculture Centre for Excellence (LACE) Project would see to the establishment of aquaculture facilities using the latest technology in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), and “Semi-flow through Systems”.

The Commissioner said that on completion, the Centre, which would be on a 35-hectare parcel of land at Igbonla, Eredo Epe, would produce 50 million fingerlings from the fish hatchery facility; 2,000 tonnes per annum grow out facility; 20,000 tonnes per annum fish processing facility (Smoked, Fillet & Steak), as well as 24,000 metric tonnes per annum fish feed mill facility. Olusanya disclosed that the nearly completed 32 metric-tonnes per hour rice mill at Imota is expected to produce 2.4 million bags of 50kg rice per annum, while providing a total of 267,580 jobs at different stages of the value chains, reduce the cost of rice locally, enhance food selfsufficiency and revenue generation in the State and the country at large. She said in preparation for the takeoff of the mill, the Ministry has already trained, built capacity and empowered 800 farmers across the State, adding that the farmers were also encouraged to produce the varieties and high-quality paddy required by the mill for offtake.

The Commissioner pointed out that the State Government would, henceforth, prioritise the development of the fish clustering ecosystem to enhance sector development and linkages between smallholder and large-scale fish farmers.

“The State will begin initiation of large-scale fish production projects, which include the Lagos Fish Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone, an initiative that is being promoted in partnership with the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) for largescale fish production and processing hub; the development of a database of fish farmers for better supervision and monitoring of fishermen’s activities at the fish landing sites across the State; as well as an adoption of the use of fish cages for aquaculture to upscale fish production in Lagos”, Olusanya noted.

Nigeria - The Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Cecilia Dada, has reaffirmed that its training initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty and engaging the indigent across the State, are tuitionfree for the general public.

The Commissioner, who disclosed this on Wednesday at the Y2021 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Secretariat, Alausa, to commemorate the second anniversary of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration, explained that all the Ministry’s programmes for short, medium and long-term training are tuition-free, urging the general public to report anyone demanding payment to access any of the training programmes.

She said, “We have 20 various vocations, which are targeted at supporting trainees towards the path of self-reliance and financial independence. These trainees are taught different skills across the three Senatorial Districts of the State, with certificates awarded upon completion to afford the trainees opportunity for internship in various multi-nationals and industries within the State”.

According to her, over 10,000 trainees have already graduated from government-owned 19 skills acquisition centres in the last two years, restating the Ministry's mandate to ensure that there is zerotolerance for mediocrity, poverty and idleness, especially among indigent women and the vulnerable members of the public in Lagos.

Mrs. Dada also revealed that since good parenting is the foundation for a progressive Society, WAPA organised a training programme for 200 parents in August 2020 with a special focus on human trafficking enlightenment and how to curb the menace.

Her words: "We want a productive society directed at uplifting best practices for our development and progress but we realised that domestic violence is taking its toll on our societal values and thus, requires concerted efforts to ensure adequate strategies are initiated to curb the menace. It is in this regard that WAPA marked 16 days of activism with 2,500 participants in attendance in the fourth quarter of 2020”.

While also informing that the Ministry had rendered livelihood support of N20,000 each to over 1,450 women in the year 2020, the Commissioner revealed that another 1,500 women will be benefiting from the same gesture in June 2021 during International Widows Day.