Kunle Adelabu
The Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Agriculture, Ms Abisola Ruth Olusanya has stated that the state government has been supporting farmers in the state with various programmes to ensure increase food production and improve food security.
She stated this at the 2nd Farmers’ Improvement Workshop (FIW) organized by the School of Agriculture, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, and held at the School of Agriculture Auditorium, lkorodu main campus, on Wednesday, February 19, 2020.
The workshop was tagged, ‘Sharing Knowledge for Improved Farmers’.
Ms Olusanya, who was the special guest of honour at the workshop which recorded impressive attendance of agricultural scholars, students and practicing farmers, stated that the state government is concerned with the welfare of the farmers which made it support them with various initiatives which are meant to enhance their productivity.
She was represented at the workshop by Mr Bamisaye, Director, Planning & Research, Ministry of agriculture.
“The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has ensured the welfare of farmers in the State by enhancing their productivity, reducing cost of production, marketing their produce for maximum profit, ensuring higher returns to farmers, giving financial aid for advanced irrigation facilities,providing insurance protection, compensation for losses by natural calamities and linkages with new technologies and researches through its various projects and programs” .
She mentioned many programs from which farmers in the state are benefitting from and ensuring increase food production and improving food security.
“In order to improve the welfare of farmers in Lagos State to increase food productivity and improve food security, the present government has supported the farmers with programs and welfare packages which include: Extension Services, Agricultural Value Chain Empowerment and Eko Farmers’ Market, an initiative that ensures that farmers bring their produce to the market directly.
She also listed, “Access to Agricultural land through the Agricultural Land Holding Authority, an agency in charge of land in the Ministry of Agriculture, Access to health facilities by establishing Health Centers and Primary Health Care in the farm settlements and rural areas for the farmers and the community, Agricultural Bank loan which enables the Ministry to advice the farmers to form a cooperative group to access loans through the Micro – finance, Bank of Agriculture and other Banks and Programs and Projects such as Anchor Borrowers Scheme for the farmers to access capital and land for farm activities to improve productivity”.
Other programs of the state government initiated to ensure food security and welfare of the farmers, according to the Ms Olusanya, were, “Provision of Electricity, Construction of good roads, Provision of Bore–hole water in the farm settlements for the welfare of the farmers, Building of government Schools for farmers children to study and Establishment of markets near the farms and in rural areas for the farmers to sell their agricultural produce”
She also spoke about the “Empowerment programs by the government to supply farmers with improved varieties of seeds, fertilizers, farm inputs, farm implements across agricultural value chain such as Poultry, Fishery, Crops, Beef and Piggery for the benefit of the Youths, Women and Men in farming”.
“There is also training and capacity building of farmers to improve their knowledge and skills in agriculture through APPEALS project by the Ministry of Agriculture”.
