LASG to acquire farmlands in northern states

 

 The Lagos State Government says it will acquire farmlands in some states in the north for crop and livestock production.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, said this in Ikeja on Thursday.

Gbolahan said the development would boost food supply in the state.

Lawal added that the government had recently acquired farmlands in Osun, Ogun states and Abuja for similar purpose.

“We are doing this because of Lagos’ large population and in order to meet the demand for food.

“Already, we have farms in Ogun, Osun states and Abuja and a lot of agricultural activities are going on there.

“So, we are currently discussing with some states in the north to set up farms there, but the security situation in that region is slowing down the plan.”

Lawal noted that only 10 per cent of foods consumed in the state were produced locally, adding that the rest were sourced from other states.

The commissioner said the government was initiating some programmes to boost food production in the state to 25 per cent by 2018.

Lawal said the government was also facilitating loans to traditional farmers and was supporting them with subsidised inputs to enhance their productivity.

He, however, lamented the high rate of wastage of perishable food items at Mile 12 market, saying about 24 metric tonnes of food valued at N84m was wasted in the market due to poor transportation and storage system.

“Our research has shown that the perishables entering the Mile 12 market every day is 600 metric tonnes, which is 20 trailers. Out of the 600 metric tonnes, 40 per cent of 240 metric tonnes goes into spoilage, thereby causing a lot of income loss to our farmers. The income loss is estimated to be N84m per day”, the commissioner said.
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