THE Lagos State government through its intervention programme has empowered. no fewer than 1,252 farmers in the state with agricultural inputs and productive assets worth over 200 million nairas.
At the flagging off of the state’s Agriculture Value Chains Empowerment programme held in four different centres across Lagos state on Thursday, beneficiaries across four value chains of aquaculture, artisanal fisheries, crops/livestock and marketing were presented with various supports, among which are outboard engines, fish drying kilns, plastic crates, collapsible water tanks, animal feeds, among other.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony at Ikeja Police College, the Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by the state Commissioner of Agriculture, Honourable Oluwatoyin Suarau, noted that to support the agricultural sector in the state, the state government has carried out various interventions to stimulate its development from subsistence practice to a commercialised activity.
ALSO READ: Secondus blasts Buhari, APC for creating artificial relevance
He added that the aim of the Value Chain Empowerment programme was to ensure increased productivity for food security and also improve the standard of living of the beneficiaries, adding that continuous provision of this support to the agricultural sector will reduce the incidence of poverty, transform the State to an efficient producer of food and create prosperity for actors in the selected Value Chains.
The Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Oluwatoyin Suara, in his welcome address noted that the state, like most megacities around the world, is faced with the challenges of high population, which includes the ability to provide food for the citizenry, end hunger and poverty, among others, thus the state government proactive move through its Accelerated Food Expansion Programme, Development of Red Meat Value Chain and Empowerment Programmes.
Speaking on behalf of Lagos state fishermen, the Vice President of Lagos State Fishermen Corporative Association, Mr Segun Zebulon appreciated the efforts of the state government in empowering fishermen across the state with outboard engines, while noting that the fishermen had been in partnership with the government especially in the area of waterways security.
“We thank Lagos State government for counting us worthy to be part of this programme. This makes us understand that we are not forgotten in our fishing business,” he said.
and then