Food security: Lagos to produce 54,000mt of rice by December

IN its bid to promote food security in Lagos State and beyond, the government has said it is set to produce 18,000 metric tonnes of rice by December, 2016.

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Food Security, Mr Sanni Ganiyu Okanlawon, made this known on Tuesday, while addressing the press on the forthcoming maiden Food Security Summit in the state.

Okanlawon explained that with the partnership of the state government with the Kebbi State government on the development of agricultural commodities, rice farming, which had started yielding results by the end of 2017, would have produced 200,000 metric tonnes of rice.

He noted that this move by the government would go a long way to improve food security and enhance consumption of healthy rice as most imported rice had been declared unhealthy for human consumption, while adding that the Lagos rice would be made available at an affordable price.

Okanlawon explained that in furtherance of its commitment to optimally explore its agricultural value chain potential and ensure food security for its teeming populace, the  government has made plans to organise a world class summit tagged ‘the Lagos Food Security Summit and Exhibition’.

He further explained that the summit was being organised to institutionalise a food security framework that would guarantee sustainable food security for its growing population.

“The summit, with the theme: “Actualising Sustainable Food Security in Lagos: A New Comprehensive Agenda,” is scheduled to hold at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, from Thursday to Friday, November 10 and 11, 2016 and is designed to realign emerging realities with new global trends on food safety,  processing, storage,  handling, funding of agribusiness and agric insurance.”

Okanlawon added that the summit  would attract major stakeholders from the Agricultural sector and academia, as well as prospective foreign and local investors, media, civil society and policy makers in government.

He added that the Summit could not have come at a better time than now when there was an unwavering commitment by the present administration of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode to put in place enduring measures that would help improve the socio-economic wellbeing of residents of the State, stressing that the governor created the Office of the Special Adviser on Food Security in order to bring to the fore the importance of sustainable food security in Lagos.