Lagos Pursues 40% Food Self-Sufficiency With Investments In Agriculture

News in brief:- ***Lagos aims to achieve 40% self-sufficiency in residents' food needs to enhance food security.

• The state says its Imota Rice Mill produced 120,000 bags in 2023 and offered them at competitive prices to ensure affordability and stability amid market fluctuations.*** The Lagos State government has set a target of supplying 40% of its residents' food needs through with a view to enhancing food security within the state. Revealed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, he emphasised that achieving this level of self-sufficiency would provide a vital safety net against external disruptions and market fluctuations. Also, it would encompass all essential food items like rice, tomato, and yam. Meantime, the state function where Fashola made this statement, provided a platform for the Ministry of Agriculture to update stakeholders on its progress and future plans. He highlighted the success of the Imota Rice Mill, inaugurated in January 2023, which reportedly generated 120,000 bags of rice in 2023. More importantly, the state had offered subsidised prices for this locally produced rice. You'll recall that it had been priced at ₦30,000 per bag at the beginning of the season, which is lower than the prevailing market price of ₦40,000 at the time. This commitment to affordability continued, with the price adjusted to ₦45,000 in December when market prices soared to ₦63,000. Currently, Fashola said that the Imota rice remains competitively priced at ₦52,000 against the current market price of ₦60,000. Furthermore, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, detailed the ministry's comprehensive strategy for attaining food security and listed initiatives like the Lagos Red Meat Initiative, and the Lagos Agri Business Support. Others include the Lagos Food Systems Champions of the Future, and positioning Lagos as a Food Value Chains' Destination. She stated that these moves are all geared towards boosting local production and strengthening the agricultural ecosystem.