LAGOS FOOD PRODUCTION CENTRES TO BOOST SELF SUFFICIENCY - COMMISSIONER

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 metric-tonne 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 self-sufficiency and revenue generation in the State and the country at large.

She said in preparation for the take-off 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 large-scale 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.