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Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Hamzat and others at the Seafood Festival |
Lagos State government to establish N10 billion Lagos
Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (LACE) in Igbonla, Epe, under a
Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced this on
Tuesday at the distribution of agricultural inputs and productive assets to
2,743 farmers under the 2020 Agricultural Value Chains Empowerment Programme.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Obafemi
Hamzat, said that the centre would be located on a 35-hectare land.
According to him, the project is designed to boost the
growth and development of aquaculture industry in the state through direct
production of 2,000 tonnes of fish annually.
He said it would also ensure provision of inputs to fish
farmers under the Lagos Nucleus Farms scheme, and serve as off-taker for fish
farm clusters in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said the state government would also establish two
food production centres in Epe and Badagry to be known as Lagos Food Production
Centres, in order to sustain food production and supply.
The governor added that the two centres would ensure
resuscitation, expansion and stocking of agricultural production facilities in
various value chains and develop agro-tourism centres in the Lagos State
Songhai project in Badagry and the Agricultural Training Institute, Araga, Epe.
“The experience of the past few months during the lockdown
occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic has further reinforced the urgent need to
expand the state’s food production base to meet such a spontaneous increase in
demand for food in the future.
“In line with this realisation, and to ensure sustained food
production and supply in the state, we are establishing Lagos Food Production
Centres in Badagry and Epe.
“In addition, we are establishing the Lagos Aquaculture
Centre of Excellence (LACE) N10 Billion project to be located on 35 hectares of
land in Igbonla in Epe under a public\private partnership arrangement,” he
said.
According to Sanwo-Olu, LACE was designed to boost the
growth and development of aquaculture industry in the state through direct
production of 2,000 tonnes of fish annually.
“Also, it will ensure provision of inputs to fish farmers
under the Lagos Nucleus Farms scheme and serve as off-taker for fish farm
clusters in the State.”
Sanwo-Olu said that the agriculture sector remained a key
component through which the state government would realise its dream of making
Lagos a 21st Century economy, adding that it was a pillar of the government’s T.H.EM.E.S
agenda.
He said that the annual agricultural value chain empowerment
programme was one of the strategies designed to boost food production and
supply through the provision of agricultural inputs and productive assets to
farmers and other players in the value chain.
“This year’s edition is quite auspicious coming at a time we
need to do a lot to cushion the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the
productive capacity of our farmers and other actors within the agricultural
value chain.
“Currently, our level of food self-sufficiency stands at
about 20 per cent, leaving a deficit of about 80 per cent, which is mostly
accounted for by supplies from other states.
“Our goal is to achieve 100 per cent increase in food
self-sufficiency by 2023.
“We are committed to meeting this target with you as our key
partner and through the implementation of our programmes, policies and projects
which are aimed at maximising our comparative and competitive advantage in the
agricultural space,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“The short, medium and long-term goals of these efforts
include making the agricultural space attractive for private investment,
improve the welfare and well-being of our farmers and sustainably ramp up food
production and supply in the state.
“I am happy with the progress we are making in the
implementation of the various projects and initiatives toward achieving our
goal of 40 per cent food self-sufficiency in the state.
“Some of the flagship projects include the
32-tonnes-per-hour rice mill in Imota which we hope to commission by December
this year, the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme, the Agro-Processing,
Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS),
the coconut value chain development project, the red meat value chain project
and the fish cage culture project among others.”
The state acting commissioner for agriculture, Abisola
Olusanya, said that agriculture was key to the promotion of food security as it
played a vital role in increasing quantity, quality and diversity of food supply.
The commissioner noted that the overall aim of the
agricultural value chain empowerment programme was to provide the necessary
agricultural inputs and productive assets to farmers as a means of achieving
improved food production and supply.
“Since inception of this project in 2014, a total of 11,233
farmers, fishermen, butchers, processors and marketers have been empowered. The
programme is a means of channelling needed support to small holder farmers who
are actively engaged in the various agricultural value chains, thereby creating
further wealth and job opportunities.
Olusanya implored all the beneficiaries to put their inputs
into productive use to make maximum impacts. She also called on the private
sector to collaborate with the state government to develop the various
agricultural value chains.