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Lagos govt adopt APPEALS initiative for agricultural sustenance

Lagos State government has promised to sustain the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement & Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project in the state for its continuous development despite the completion of the partnership with the World Bank.

The State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, gave this assurance during a courtesy visit to him by the delegations of the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and National Coordination Unit of APPEALS Project, even as he noted that the APPEALS Project had been very successful in the state.

According to Hamzat, over 10,000 people have benefited across different levels, including farming, fishing, food processing, amongst others, saying that all these had led to the realignment of markets, while other values had benefited as well.

The deputy governor assured that notwithstanding that the project was coming to an end, the state government would sustain it “to make sure that beneficiaries don’t face off and how to push in new beneficiaries into it.

“The APPEALS Project has been very successful in the state, over 10,000 people have benefited across different levels; farming, fishing, food processing and amongst others, and all these have led to the realignment of markets and other values have been benefited in the state.

“Though the project is coming to an end, the state government will sustain it, we are here to discuss the exit plan and hence the state will now find a way to keep it up, sustain the legacy, to make sure that beneficiaries don’t face off and how to push-in new beneficiaries into it,” he said.

Hamzat, while noting that the APPEALS project was carried out in six different states, namely; Lagos, Enugu, Cross River, Kano, Kaduna and Kogi states, and was very successful and beneficial to the state, said the collaboration had improved the processing capability and agriculture credentials of the Lagos State and the country.

According to him, the turnage per production for rice has increased from 1.5 to 2.5 tons, so also for the local rice, called Ofada, and likewise, the increased turnage gets per hectare of land.

He added that the project would be sustained by the state, as it was in partnership with World Bank, saying that sustaining the APPEALS project would help Lagos to get in line with the happenings around the world.

The Lagos State Project Coordinator for APPEALS, Mrs. Oluranti Sagoe, stated that the project had five components in the state, namely productivity of farmers with three value chains poultry, aquaculture, and rice; Support for Women and Youths; Infrastructure, amongst other components.

According to her, in the poultry sector, the farmers in the state have been supported, saying that the productivity for broiler production of farmers had increased from 1.8 to 2.5 in six weeks, while such growth had been recorded in the production of eggs, with the state successfully adopting egg powder technology.

Besides, she said the development recorded in the state through the project, especially in the Aquaculture sector, includes the Tilapia Fish encaged culture which had been promoted and concentrated on two water bodies in Afowo and Epe area of Lagos State, reiterating that over one hundred and eighty cages had been built on the two waterways.

She also added that the project was targeted to support 700 women and the youth initially but at the completion, the target was exceeded to 1,786 women and youths, saying that capacities had been built through the support gotten from the Lagos State government.

“Capacities have been built through the support gotten from the Lagos State government. Out of which 1,738 of the beneficiaries have been supported with inputs that have made them gainfully employed and have also made them employers of labour presently,” she said.

Also speaking, the Enugu State Project Coordinator for APPEALS, Mrs. Eze Ihuoma, stated that the project had been very impactful in the state as, according to her, jobs have been created for women and youths and the livelihoods of farmers have been improved through technology and inputs which has improved agricultural production generally.

“The project is already transforming agriculture in the state, the APPEALS project is very satisfactory across the state, from the feedback we are having, it has been a lot of success,” she said.

In his remarks, the Task Team Leader of the APPEALS Project from the World Bank, Dr. Manievel Sene, said the project was designed to increase the productivity and processing of farmers in some selective states to ensure food security in the country.

He noted that, in the course of the project, a lot of training, capacity-building technology dissemination and adoption for investment had been achieved.

On the implementation of the key activities, Dr. Sene stated that “we have key elements that show what has been done in the different states and these include clear strategies in place for scaling up, taking ownership by the states and exit plans after APPEALS Scores which is very important for World Bank.”

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