The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to ensuring food security and fulfilling its constitutional responsibility of feeding over 24 million residents despite the enormous challenges involved.<\/p>\n
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave this assurance in a message to the grand finale of this year\u2019s <\/span>World Food Day Celebration<\/span>, held at the Police College, Ikeja.<\/span><\/p>\n Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, <\/span>Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin<\/span>, the Governor emphasized that ensuring food availability for residents requires constant innovation and robust partnerships with key stakeholders in the agricultural sector.<\/span><\/p>\n He disclosed that the state government is ready to support farmers with necessary inputs and infrastructure to boost food production across the metropolis.<\/span><\/p>\n Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the impressive performance of Lagos farmers, noting that the theme of this year\u2019s celebration, <\/span>\u201cHand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,\u201d<\/span> underscores the urgent need for collaboration to transform agricultural systems and promote healthy diets.<\/span><\/p>\n According to him, work is ongoing across various agricultural hubs under construction to ensure that each local government area and LCDA has a functional hub that will make farm produce available at affordable prices to residents.<\/span><\/p>\n On her part, the <\/span>Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems<\/span>, <\/span>Ms. Abisola Olusanya<\/span>, stressed that agriculture remains pivotal to the survival of humanity, noting that the growth and development of any nation depend largely on the sector.<\/span><\/p>\n She added that since every other sector relies on agricultural products to thrive, all efforts must be directed toward supporting farmers, emphasizing that <\/span>\u201cno farmer, no nation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A member of the Board of Directors of the <\/span>British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF)<\/span>, <\/span>Mr. Yarub Al-Bharani<\/span>, noted that the foundation has, over the last two decades, remained committed to empowering small-scale farmers for a better future.<\/span><\/p>\n He reaffirmed BATNF\u2019s commitment to supporting rural communities across Nigeria, emphasizing that farmers remain the backbone of the nation\u2019s economy.<\/span><\/p>\n According to him, over 300,000 farmers across the 36 states and the FCT have benefitted from various support initiatives, aligning with the <\/span>Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)<\/span> on hunger reduction and sustainable agricultural development.<\/span><\/p>\n He urged Nigerians to patronize local farmers to boost socio-economic development in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n Also speaking, the <\/span>Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture<\/span>, <\/span>Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola<\/span>, appreciated all partners for their collaboration and contributions to the state\u2019s agricultural success story.<\/span><\/p>\n He noted that agriculture extends beyond farming to the entire value chain that sustains stakeholders, adding that food prices are gradually reducing in Lagos due to the state\u2019s partnership with the <\/span>Mile 12 Market<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n In his vote of thanks, the <\/span>Permanent Secretary in the Ministry<\/span>, <\/span>Mr. Emmanuel Audu<\/span>, assured that the government would sustain the initiative and encourage more residents to participate in the agricultural sector.<\/span><\/p>\n The highlight of the event was the presentation of prizes and awards to outstanding contributors in the sector. <\/span>Oluwaseun Evelyn Areo<\/span> won a truck as the <\/span>Most Beautiful Farmer in Lagos<\/span>, while <\/span>Farm Junction<\/span> received the <\/span>Best Agro Processor Award<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n Erikprodo Poultry Association<\/span> was named <\/span>Best Farm Estate<\/span>, <\/span>Ajara Farm Settlement<\/span> won <\/span>Best Farm Settlement<\/span>, <\/span>Yaba LCDA<\/span> emerged as <\/span>Best LCDA in Agriculture<\/span>, and <\/span>Daddy Louis Tomato Growers Association<\/span> received the <\/span>Best Crop Champion Award<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to ensuring food security and fulfilling its constitutional responsibility of feeding over 24 million residents despite the enormous challenges involved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[11148,6222,138,9643,1620,5907],"class_list":["post-25240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-agricultural-growth","tag-food-security","tag-lagos","tag-olusanya","tag-sanwo-olu","tag-world-food-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25240"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25240"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25244,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25240\/revisions\/25244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}