In a bid to end food crisis rocking the nation, Lagos State has entered a partnership with BATN Foundation to ensure food security.
As part of activities commemorating the United Nations World Food Day, Lagos State governor called on rice farmers to scale up production.
Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, called on paddy rice farmers all over Nigeria to key into the Lagos Rice Mill project.
The governor emphasised the need for all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to scale up production to achieve food security.
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Sanwo-Olu made this call at the 2023 Lagos Farm Fair, held at the Police College, Ikeja.
The governor said, Lagos was building a Central Food Logistics Hub, to help improve storage while reducing loss and waste.
He said: “Farming is an important component of our government’s activities. We need to grow what we eat and eat what we grow”.
Also, “We have collaborated with some major agricultural states within Nigeria, to increase production.
“We want to partner with independent paddy rice farmers across the federation to raise paddy supply at Lagos Rice Mill.
“A huge amount of paddy is needed to meet production capacity. It doesn’t matter how much paddy rice they have; we are ready to take it up.
“This is calling on paddy growers across Nigeria to key into this opportunity”.
Sanwo-Olu Targets Food Security In Lagos
The 5th edition of the Lagos Farm Fair, with the theme: “Water is Life, Water is Food; Leave No One Behind,” is geared toward ensuring food security in the state.
This edition is hosted by Lagos State, in partnership with the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF).
The board director of BATN Foundation, Odiri Erewa-Meggison, asserted that the initiative aligns with the core objectives of the Foundation.
Erewa-Meggison, who was represented by Ruth Owojaiye, said since 2002, BATN Foundation, had supported several agricultural development programmes.
Owojaiye, revealed that rural small-holder farmers who produce food crops, like cassava, rice and maize, have been getting support from BATN.
She said: “BATN invested well over 2 billion Naira, in supporting rural small-holder farmers in Nigeria.
“More than 1.3 million Nigerians have benefited from us, and we hope to double that figure in the next 10 years.
“Because we plan to increase our support to farmers across 36 states of the country”.
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Also, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, emphasised that Nigeria was battling with food crisis and that the programme had come at the right time.
Olusanya, harped on the need to scale up food production across the various value chains, to tackle food insecurity.
Lagos’ Role In Agricultural Sector
Lagos playing a frontline role in the aqua farming industry.
Also, the commissioner said the state was also key players in the production of other crops and edible produce.
Olusanya said: “This year’s World Food Day celebration is to encourage farmers to come out and benefit from the interventions we have created for them.”
BATN Foundation and Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture have sponsored the World Food Day – Lagos Farm Fair celebration.
The aim of the 2023 Lagos Farm Fair is ensuring food adequacy and sufficiency.
