Lagos Rebrands Agric Ministry To Boost Food Production, Create More Opportunities for Farmers

 AgegePulse Magazine 

...FoodHub Records transactions of almost N1 billion In 40Days

The Lagos state Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Ms Abisola Olusanya, has said  the ministry has been rebranded into Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems aimed to boost food production, create more opportunities for farmers and also to create an avenue for the newly created Livestock Ministry as planned by the federal government. 

The Lagos state Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Ms Abisola Olusanya briefing the media

The Commissioner made this known during a press briefing held yesterday at the Lagos State Press Center in Alausa, Lagos.

Reeling out some of the achievements of the Ministry, Hon. Abisola told the pressmen that Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu's free of charge middle-level food agro-hub in Idi-Oro, Mushin has recorded a maximum sales transaction of N918 million precisely in 40 days to tackle rising food costs as well as address post-harvest losses in the State.

According to her, the impact of the Mushin food hub is still being felt, as a means of discounting food items by the state government.

“The Mushin food hub is one of many that we should have in the state. The impact of the hub is still being felt up to now.

“We started with only Saturdays as the market days and subsequently in March we added Wednesdays. We have 339 registered vendors working with us on multiple food items.

“Over 26,000kg of garri, over 18,318 kilos of poultry meats, and over 55,000 crates of eggs have been sold in this one facility, In these 40 days of the open market’s operation, we have recorded food transactions of almost N1 billion, precisely, N918 million transactions".

"Besides the “Ounje Eko” initiative, food items, which include 10kg rice, 5kg garri, 5kg beans, and tomatoes, among others, all in combo packs, will be distributed to over 500,000 households in Lagos State". Olusanya said

Lagos launches Last Mile Meat Shops & Butchers Academy

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The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya cutting the tape

The Lagos State Government has taken giant steps towards revamping the process of selling red meat in the metropolis by ensuring proper hygiene before the product gets to the final consumers.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya disclosed this in Alausa at the launching of the last Mile Meat Shops and Butchers Academy

She said that the initiative was to give residents confidence on what they consume while also making it look presentable with standard facilities to encourage youth to come into the space. 

The commissioner further noted that the essence of the initiative was for residents to embrace butchery and correct the erroneous impression that the profession is reserved for the unenlightened.

Olusanya noted that the 20 feet containers designed as pilot scheme for the initiative can be easily transferred from one location to another.

According to her, each meat shop is to be manned by four youth allocated a cow slaughtered at approved government abattoirs and brought to them under hygienic conditions and processes.

She therefore demanded for collaboration with the private sector to enlarge the scheme noting that they have started with 20 feet containers and hope to increase it soon to 40ft.

Going back memory lane, Abisola Olusanya explained that the initiative was part of the Lagos State Agriculture Roadmap adding that the initial plan was to have 20 for a start but was cut to 5 in the pilot scheme. 

According to her, the overhauling in the transportation sector led to the introduction of Eko Meat Van that ended the era of conveying meat through unwholesome practices.

She also pointed out that the Cattle feed lot in Lagos is ongoing and part of the promise made by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led government which will be delivered soon.

On his part, the Chairman Lagos House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture,  Hon Emmanuel Olotu commended the ministry for introducing ideas that will bring food and comfort to the door steps of residents.

He urged the Butchers Association to ensure that they put into practice what they learnt during training at the Butchers Academy. 

The Chairman House Committee on Agriculture stressed that the Butchers must realise the fact that they are attending to over twenty million residents and should be wary of what they pass on to them.

While adding his voice, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola said that the iniative was a quality controlled measure in the state to give value for money. 

He assured that all the Meat Shops will sell in Kilogramme by weight for uniformity purpose.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Emmanuel Audu described the event as groundbreaking adding issues around meat consumption is important for human existence.

He also disclosed that food safety cannot be overlooked recalling that COVID 19 had its root in an animal market in China. 

The Permanent Secretary further said that the initiative was to assist in value chains in meat distribution as safety and quality are being addressed with the launch.

Emmanuel Audu concluded that the Last Mile Meat Shops was a new dimension especially with youth involvement in the process and hope the project will receive full acceptance by Lagos residents.

In his goodwill message, the Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of  Butchers Association, Alhaji Kazeem Bakare thanked the Lagos State Government for iniating the project described as innovation to his members.

He said that the nature and value of cows slaughtered now is different from the one many years back.

According to him, the Butchers Association will embrace the new idea for safe handling of cow meat in the state promising that it will bring back some of members who have left the job for Okada and Marwa. 

Alhaji Kazeem Bakare urged other states in the country to embrace the innovation in order to restore sanity to the handling meat among their residents.

The Managing Director of Palilar Pal Meat International, Apostle Olawale Talabi appreciates the Governor for the opportunity, adding the vision of the Commissioner is coming to fruition.

He believes that the measure will guarantee high hygienic standard for the sale of meat to consumers in the state and allow the Butchers to earn more money.

Apostle Talabi further said that there is huge market for cow meat in Lagos noting that over 2,500 were slaughtered on a daily basis.

He disclosed that plans are underway to have the Meat Shops across the metropolis.

The Last Mile Meat Shops are located in Ijeh area of Dolphin Estate, Surulere and Mushin.

LASG Reiterates Commitment To Food Security In Lagos

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The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment  to fully implement the five-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap to achieve food security in the state.

(M) Ms Abisola Olusanya, Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture, R: HoS, Hon. Agoro, (2nd L) House Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Olotu

The five-year Agricultural Food Systems Roadmap was launched in 2021 by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to ensure Lagosians are secured when it comes to food security.

Speaking at the event, Lagos Food Systems Stakeholders’ Breakfast Meeting held yesterday at Protea Hotel, Alausa, Ikeja organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, stated that the state government would provide funds for agric service providers, improved rice paddy production and land bank collaboration with sister states.

“We will go live on eight projects which include, Central Logistics Hub, Lagos Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (LACE), capacity building for horticulture stakeholders, full operations and capacity building for stakeholders in the Lagos Food Production Centres.

“Others are execution of state-wide intervention and Green Wall Initiative,” she said.

Ms. Abisola listed others as the establishment of Agricultural Value Chains Entreprise Activation Programme, Agri-thon, Lagos Cares, Lagos Entrepreneurship Programme and the Lagos Agric Scholars Programme.

“The state government will also create the Lagos Agrinnovation Clusters, the Food Value Chains’ Destination, the Lagos Central Food Security System and Logistics Hub and the Middle Level Agro Product Hub.”

Olusanya said part of the roadmap was to increase production of rice paddy in order to meet with the growing rice consumption of the state.

The commissioner said the state government would increase the production of rice paddy by partnering with other sister states such as Niger and Kebbi states on land bank collaboration.

Olusanya listed the projects to be undertaken by the state government to include Lagos Rice Mill, the Central Logistics Hub, – the Red Meat Initiative, Lagos Feedlot System and Butchers’ Academy among others.

The commissioner said the ministry would set up the Lagos feedlot system, establishment of Butchers’ Academy, creation of Last mile meat Shop.

Olusanya said the purpose of the meeting was to intimate the stakeholders on the ministry’s activities for the year 2024 and also get their contributions.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the governor on Agriculture, Dr Oluwarotimi Fashola, said the state government would require N50 billion to produce 100,000 tonnes of rice paddy in 2024.

Fashola said the Imota Rice Mill was able to produce 15,000 tonnes of rice paddy in 2023.

“We started off with about 5,000 tonnes of paddy and with the genuity of the team we were able to partner with the Commodity and Exchange Board that brought another close to 10,000 paddy for us to end the year.

“We were able to do roughly about 15,000 tonnes of paddy which is over 120,000 bags of rice in 2023, but this year we are hoping to do 100,000 tonnes of paddy.

“Believe me, that is not cheap because last year we started about N200,000 per ton but today as I speak, the cost of paddy is about N510,000 per ton.

“In other words, if we are going to do 100,000 tonnes per paddy we will need N50 billion,” he said.

Fashola said the state government was currently in talks with Niger and Kebbi states to give them farmers on a large scale that it could buy paddy from at reasonable costs.

Earlier, The state’s Head of Civil Service, Mr Olabode Agoro, said the state government was bringing back operation feed the nation by allowing the civil servants to participate in the agricultural sector.

Agoro said his mother, a retired civil servant, was also into agriculture produce, urging the civil servants in the state to engage in the agriculture.

In a separate remarks, Mr. Mosopefolu George, the State Commissioner for Economy, Planning and Budget, said the state government has already increased its budget on agriculture.

George attributed the increase to the importance of food chain and agriculture system to the state.

He noted that the ministry had been doing well in the area of rice mills, food and logistics hub just to mention a few.

Chairman Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Olotu, urged stakeholders in the agricultural space to improve ministry's production in 2024.

Olotu commended the Ministry of Agriculture for its contributions in heading the programme to allow them to collectively share the goal and projects for the year 2024.

He said: “Our share goal should be the development of resilient and efficient that can benefit our farmers and customers, and improve on the agricultural plan agenda.

“Lagos State through the Ministry of Agriculture is to create agro stakeholders in order to leverage on the developmental agenda of the state.”

Olotu said as agro stakeholders their role was pivotal by maximising the ground work led by the ministry.

He urged stakeholders to collectively shape the food system by offering a full support to unlock the full potential of food system and contribute to the development of agriculture in state.