Gbenga Oloniniran The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, said his administration has invested hugely in the agriculture sector to make it a backbone of the state’s economy. The governor stated this at the grand finale of the 2024 World Food Day celebration, held at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos. He said the state government had trained 100,000 women and youths in various agricultural value chains.
The governor said one of the ways of achieving his set objectives in agriculture is by rebranding the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, adding that the rebranding allowed the government to prioritise food systems management, enhance mechanisation, improve food safety, and ultimately drive down food prices. Sanwo-Olu said, “We are also implementing a Food Systems Transformation Agenda aimed at building a resilient and secure food ecosystem in Lagos. “This initiative targets reducing post-harvest losses, easing traffic around food markets, and increasing state revenue.
“A key project under this agenda is the Lagos Central Food Security System and Logistics Hub at Ketu-Ereyun, which we aim to complete by December 2024.” He further stated that the establishment of the 32-tonne/hour Lagos Rice Mill at Imota, capable of producing 2.4 million bags of rice annually was another achievement.
“This facility will not only reduce our dependence on imported rice but also create over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs, contri.