Lagos agricultural sector records N1bn in IGR

By Omotayo Edubi

For the first time in 44years, Lagos state has generated over N1billion internal revenue in its agricultural sector regardless of the challenges it faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state commissioner for agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, said this at the recent 2021 Lagos Food Fest themed, “A Taste of Lagos’, which was held at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to Olusanya, the ministry achieved the target with the support of its staff and officials who went “over and beyond” in 2021 to ensure food security in the state.

Commending officials of the agriculture ministry for their outstanding performance, she said: “For the first time in the history of the ministry, we have crossed over a billion naira in IGR. It has never happened before. We feel that it’s imperative that we give them (the officials) some form of appreciation.”

The commissioner explained that the festival was a platform for Lagosians to unwind with their families during the festive season, adding that it is a follow-up on the success story of the five editions of the previous annual Lagos Seafood Festival, which was held between 2012 and 2020.

Prior to the new development, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State governor had in April 2021, launched a five-year agricultural and food systems roadmap project expected to amass about $10 billion worth of investments within the next five years.

The governor stressed that Lagos could no longer afford to depend exclusively on other states for its food consumption as it possessed the capability to sustain its teeming populace by unlocking its immeasurable agricultural potential through the implementation of the five-year roadmap projected to result in wealth generation, value creation, food security, promote industrialisation of the agricultural sector and the entrenchment of inclusive socio-economic development of the state.