Agricultural investments in Lagos State will undergo stringent monitoring aimed at enhancing state support and accountability throughout the food value chain, as announced by the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya.
During the Agriculture & Allied Group 2024 Symposium/Fair hosted by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Olusanya outlined the government’s strategy to create the largest food logistics hubs alongside several middle-level hubs. This initiative aims to establish a traceable system for food items, ensuring that investments are effectively tracked to market outcomes.
“We need to ensure that the support provided to farmers is monitored closely, not just focusing on yield quantities,” Olusanya emphasized. The commissioner highlighted the necessity for the agricultural ministry to understand the dynamics of food production costs, market pricing, and distribution channels.
She stressed the importance of tracing the path of food products from producers to consumers, which will foster accountability among all stakeholders in the food supply chain. “This approach will highlight the importance of fair margins for farmers, ensuring they are not overshadowed by profit-seeking middlemen,” she remarked.
Olusanya also noted the opening of the Mushin Fresh Food Hub in December 2023, which is instrumental in gathering data to enhance food reserves for emergencies.
Gabriel Idahosa, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, raised concerns over alarming sectoral data, including food inflation, which stood at 40.87% in June. He reported a staggering increase in food insecurity, with the number of affected Nigerians rising from 66.2 million in Q1 2023 to 100 million in Q1 2024. Among them, 18.6 million individuals are facing acute hunger.
Idahosa called for urgent attention to local food production to meet the growing demands. “It is crucial that we implement targeted programs for food production while adhering to a diligent fiscal policy direction,” he stated.
