The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has commissioned a mid-level agro produce hub in Agege on Wednesday, 12th August, highlighting is administration’s recognition of food as inseparable from the prosperity and strength of the state a part of efforts to promote food security in Lagos.
The Governor disclosed while speaking at the commissioning event that his administration had began to reconsider the state’s food system in 2021 as result of the fact that Lagos produces less than 30% of it’s own food, despite a population of over 25 million.
“Yet, over 70 per cent of that food is produced outside our borders. It travels long distances through fragmented supply chains before reaching our markets, exposing our residents to high transportation costs, post-harvest losses, poor storage, supply disruptions, and price volatility.” He said.
According to the governor, agro hubs reduce costs as it provides a rather direct source of mediation, improves produce handling and provides a more efficient distribution. The food hub represents the great vision of the state for food security.
He also highlighted the generational impact the state is working towards with its agricultural training, as well as milestones reached by Lagos.
“The Lagos agric scholars programme is deepening interest in agriculture among students in over 440 secondary schools across the state. The Lagos State Butchers Academy is training a new generation of butchers in hygienic, modern meat processing, restoring pride to a long-undervalued profession. And the Lagos Rice Mill at Imota—the largest in Africa—produced over 250,000 50kg bags of Eko Rice in the past year, including the newly launched Eko Fortified Rice, enriched with vitamins and minerals to combat malnutrition, especially among our children,” he highlighted.
He added that through a network of mid-level agro-produce hubs, starting with the Fresh Food Hub in Mushin, commissioned in December 2023, followed by the Fresh Food Hub in Abijo, commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, earlier this year, supply chains have been cut short, there has been a reduction of unnecessary layers of intermediation, improved produce handling, and a more efficient distribution of food.
Ganiyyah Fashina