Press Releases

Food Security Of Lagos State Assured – Agric Commissioner

Mar 25, 2009 - The Lagos State Government Wednesday assured that the current global food crisis would not affect the food security status of the State, saying the various Agricultural programmes put in place by the present administration would ensure steady food supply in the State.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Chief Enock Ajiboso, gave the assurance while briefing the press at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja at the start of a series of Ministerial Briefings to mark the second year anniversary of the present administration in the State.

The Commissioner listed such programmes to include Marine Agricultre/Fisheries development, Artisanal Fisheries Development/Replenishment of Open Water Bodies, Provision of wholesome meat, establishment of modern abattoirs, Integrated Livestock Expansion, Agricultural input supply to farmers and fishermen and Credit delivery to farmers, among others.

He also disclosed that the State Government plans to construct three new mechanized modern abattoirs in the State as a further step to meet international best practices adding that one of the abattoirs would be located in Ologe in the Badagry Local Government Area while the other two would be constructed in Achakpo in the Ajeromi Local Government Area and Epe Local Government Area respectively.

According to the Commissioner, who was accompanied by his Information and Strategy counterpart, Barrister Opeyemi Bamidele as well as other top officials of the Ministry, while the new abattoir in Ologe would service Ojo-Badagry axis, Achakpo would service Amuwo-Odofin and Surulere axis while Epe abattoir would service the Lekki Corridor.

The Commissioner, who said the construction of the abattoirs is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative, pointed out that the process of selecting the private investors has already commenced.

Chief Ajiboso, also disclosed that the State Government plans to repackage the Oko-Oba Abattoir to enable it meet international standards, adding that the repackaging would involve a comprehensive mechanization and overhaul of all the facilities in the abattoir including the slaughtering system, the environment, and the living condition, as well as a plan to convert the waste from the abattoir into wealth.

Recalling the introduction of the Eko Meat Van by the State Government as a move to address the issue of wholesome mode of meat transportation in the State, the Commissioner declared, “With these projects, all slaughtering slabs, whether legal or otherwise in the State would be closed as the problem of distribution would have been minimized and the attention of the State would now be on retailing points and displays”.

He commended the pioneering efforts of the first three private companies – B.B. Rotimi Industries, Bolly-Kamio Ventures Limited and Gusto Babe Nigeria Limited – who provided the first 50 vans to kick-start the Eko Meat Van initiative as well as the Lagos State Butchers Association who bought into the programme with additional 50 meat vans adding that the project would soon go statewide with over 120 vans already deployed by the private sector.

The Commissioner said his Ministry has started the confiscation of any pregnant animal at the slaughter slabs as a means of not only maintaining the high quality of meat but also saving the animal species, especially cattle that has only one calf per pregnancy, from extinction.

On the achievements of his ministry in the last one year and ten months, Chief Ajiboso said the Ministry has resuscitated the moribund Tractor Hiring Unit (THU) with 21 tractors and their complete implements to provide farm mechanization to farmers in the State, adding that the State is also in the process of getting additional 51 tractors with implements that would be distributed to viable cooperative societies on 60 per cent cost recovery as an empowerment project in their communities.

He said the State Government has commenced the second phase of the re-development of the Agricultural Training Institute in Araga-Poka in Epe Local Government Area with the release of N67 million to provide additional two-students’ hostels that would accommodate 70 students, eight executive chalets to house adults and participants of executive training programmes at the institute as well as renovation of staff quarters.

“With the work at the institute completed, the school will be ready to be used for youths’ training, seminars and retreats for management staff as well as being launched on a self-sustaining path before the end of the year”, the Commissioner said.

He said as a means to sustain the Greening and Beautification Programme of the State Government, the Ministry, apart from maintaining the already established sites, would take the campaign to schools and inculcate into the youths the habit of planting trees and having lawns in living premises.

According to the Commissioner, the Ministry has established two Seed Gardens in Epe with a capacity to produce 250, 000 seedlings of various types of trees and horticultural crops while another one would be established at Ologe in Badagry, adding that the idea was to encourage citizens to move away from the creation of a concrete jungle in the State.

Other achievements, the Commissioner said, were recorded in the areas of the development of agricultural cooperatives across the State to position them to benefit from the various projects and programmes of the State, integrated livestock expansion, provision of agricultural extension services, provision of agricultural land services and Root and Tuber Expansion Projects among many others.

The series of Ministerial Press Briefings will climax on May 29 with the World Press Conference by the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) to mark the second year anniversary of the administration.