Segun James
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has unveiled a five-point meals safety technique to galvanise progress for the agricultural sector within the state.
Speaking in the course of the grand finale of the World Food Day held on the Police College, Ikeja, the governor who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kadiri Hamzat emphasised that regardless of Lagos being Nigeria’s smallest state by landmass with a inhabitants exceeding 22 million, meals safety shall be pushed by depth and effectivity relatively than land growth.
The technique based on the governor embrace know-how, inter-state partnerships, funding in farmers, decreasing post-harvest losses by means of higher storage in addition to pursuing affordability, diet and sustainability.
“Lagos is Nigeria’s smallest state by landmass, but it’s residence to over 22 million folks. We can’t obtain meals safety by increasing farmland. We obtain it by producing extra on the land we’ve, sourcing effectively from associate states, processing extra of what we devour, and shifting meals from farm to family with much less waste.
“This year’s World Food Day theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow,” highlights the necessity for new concepts and sensible options to handle starvation and malnutrition.
“The sixteenth of October is noticed yearly to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day additionally calls for sustained dedication and decisive motion to make sure that everybody has entry to enough, nutritious meals.
“Achieving this requires innovation that goes beyond ideas and research to produce practical results. It must reach the farm, processing center, marketplace, and the kitchen of every household.” he stated.
The governor, giving his last World Food Day presentation, expressed deep gratitude to native farmers for their resilience in opposition to rising prices and local weather uncertainties, affirming that their welfare and future stay very important to the state.
He urged stakeholders to construct strong, sustainable meals methods that guarantee secure, accessible, and reasonably priced diet for all residents.
In her welcome tackle, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, highlighted a legacy of structural reforms and infrastructural milestones that the state authorities had executed up to now years.
Reflecting on the previous seven and a half years underneath Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, the Commissioner acknowledged that the Ministry rebranded to Agriculture and Food Systems and established new departments devoted to livestock, produce security, and mechanization.
She stated the most important achievements embrace operationalizing the Lagos Rice Mill, growing the Central Food Logistics Hub, advancing middle-level markets, establishing contemporary dairy feedlot initiatives, and creating the Lagos Aquaculture Centre of Excellence.
Olusanya maintained that over 100,000 people have been educated by means of initiatives like APPEALS and the Butchers Academy, whereas citizen welfare has been bolstered by way of the Ounje Eko meals low cost markets and college agricultural laboratories.
She nonetheless expressed confidence that the incoming administration will combine into the continuing meals methods framework of the state.
Earlier in his comment, the Special Adviser on Agriculture and Food Systems, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, emphasised youth engagement and training as vital pillars for regional meals safety, stressing that constructing a sustainable meals system requires a collaborative method involving authorities, farmers, non-public buyers, instructional establishments, and growth companions.
Other stakeholders on the occasion additionally recommended the quite a few initiatives by the federal government up to now years to uplift the farmers and supply enabling atmosphere to make sure meals enough within the state.
