Segun James
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has unveiled a five-point meals safety technique to galvanise development for the agricultural sector within the state.
Speaking through the grand finale of the World Food Day held on the Police College, Ikeja, the governor who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kadiri Hamzat emphasised that regardless of Lagos being Nigeria’s smallest state by landmass with a inhabitants exceeding 22 million, meals safety will probably be pushed by depth and effectivity reasonably than land enlargement.
The technique based on the governor embrace know-how, inter-state partnerships, funding in farmers, decreasing post-harvest losses by way of higher storage in addition to pursuing affordability, vitamin and sustainability.
“Lagos is Nigeria’s smallest state by landmass, but it’s dwelling to over 22 million folks. We can’t obtain meals safety by increasing farmland. We obtain it by producing extra on the land we now have, sourcing effectively from companion states, processing extra of what we devour, and shifting meals from farm to family with much less waste.
“This year’s World Food Day theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow,” highlights the necessity for new concepts and sensible options to deal with starvation and malnutrition.
“The sixteenth of October is noticed yearly to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day additionally calls for sustained dedication and decisive motion to make sure that everybody has entry to ample, nutritious meals.
“Achieving this requires innovation that goes beyond ideas and research to produce practical results. It must reach the farm, processing center, marketplace, and the kitchen of every household.” he mentioned.
The governor, giving his ultimate World Food Day presentation, expressed deep gratitude to native farmers for their resilience in opposition to rising prices and local weather uncertainties, affirming that their welfare and future stay important to the state.
He urged stakeholders to construct sturdy, sustainable meals programs that guarantee protected, accessible, and inexpensive vitamin for all residents.
In her welcome tackle, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, highlighted a legacy of structural reforms and infrastructural milestones that the state authorities had executed previously years.
Reflecting on the previous seven and a half years underneath Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, the Commissioner said that the Ministry rebranded to Agriculture and Food Systems and established new departments devoted to livestock, produce security, and mechanization.
She mentioned the foremost achievements embrace operationalizing the Lagos Rice Mill, creating the Central Food Logistics Hub, advancing middle-level markets, establishing recent dairy feedlot initiatives, and creating the Lagos Aquaculture Centre of Excellence.
Olusanya maintained that over 100,000 people have been skilled by way of initiatives like APPEALS and the Butchers Academy, whereas citizen welfare has been bolstered through the Ounje Eko meals low cost markets and college agricultural laboratories.
She nevertheless expressed confidence that the incoming administration will combine into the continued meals programs framework of the state.
Earlier in his comment, the Special Adviser on Agriculture and Food Systems, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, emphasised youth engagement and training as important pillars for regional meals safety, stressing that constructing a sustainable meals system requires a collaborative strategy involving authorities, farmers, non-public traders, academic establishments, and growth companions.
Other stakeholders on the occasion additionally recommended the quite a few initiatives by the federal government previously years to uplift the farmers and supply enabling setting to make sure meals enough within the state.
