Lagos holds farmers’ fair Sunday

Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, has said that the December edition of the Eko City Farmers’ Fair and Appreciation Day holding this Sunday will afford Lagosians the opportunity to shop for all farm produce straight from the farm at farm gate prices.

The commissioner also said the occasion would enable Lagosians to buy rice at N20,000 per 50Kg bag, a result of the intervention of the state government in collaboration with the Federal and Kebbi State governments.

Olusanya had told newsmen, on Monday, that about 100,000 bags of 50kg of rice were being expected to be sold to Lagosians during the festive period for N20,000 per bag.

She noted that the Fair which would take place at the Ndubusi Kanu Park in Alausa, Ikeja would further help to upgrade the agricultural supply chain by connecting all the agricultural value chains with their markets.

The Commissioner opined that the Farmers’ Fair would be a platform for the best of the city’s producers to meet with consumers and end-users using the traditional and innovative development methods to showcase a well organised high-quality market to meet the consumers’ increasing demand for farm produce.

“On Sunday, December 20, 2020, the state will be hosting the Christmas edition of the Eko City Farmers’ Fair where Lagosians can shop for their fresh farm produce at affordable prices.

“The event which will hold at the Ndubusi Kanu Park, Alausa, Ikeja will also include a short ceremony to appreciate our farmers who have done everything in their power to ensure that we did not negatively feel the impacts of the coronavirus on our food supplies.

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“It will also be a platform for the best of the city’s producers to meet with consumers and end-users using the traditional and innovative development methods to showcase a well organised high-quality market to meet the consumers’ increasing demand for farm produce,” Olusanya averred.

The commissioner posited that the objectives of the market were to connect producers and make shopping entertaining; to make products accessible and affordable to consumers; to preserve the nutritional value of farm produce and to promote the “farm to fork” concept of the input and output policy of the state government.

This was as she noted that farmers in the state lacked direct access to markets, a situation which she said had led to them selling their produce to middlemen at rather ridiculous farm gate prices, adding that the Eko City Framers’ Fair would help in eradicating such problem.

She explained that the Eko City Farmers’ Fair was also intended to increase the productivity of farmers as well as create an avenue for inclusive business where farmers make more profit since they were selling directly to consumers.

“Farmers in the state lack direct access to markets and this led to the selling of their produce to middlemen at ridiculous farm gate prices. Farmers that are able to penetrate the market find it difficult to break through cartels by the market associations. Therefore, they are forced to sell at the association dictated prices. These challenges have restricted many of the farmers to subsistent production,” Olusanya asserted.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Lagos holds farmers’ fair Sunday