By Femi Akinola
Lagos State Government has solicited for understanding of residents in the megacity for the high cost of a bag of Lagos Rice which sold for N52,000 in the open market. The government blamed the high price on high cost of production in the State’s Agric Value Chain.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, solicited people’s understanding during the Lagos Food Systems Stakeholder’s forum held at the Alausa Secretriat, the seat of the state government, recently.
The stakeholder’s forum is meant to provide a platform for collective sharing of ideas on what should be the focus of the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives for the year.
Fashola attributed the high cost of Lagos Rice to the elevated expenses incurred in the state’s Agricultural Value Chain.
Specifically, he shed light on the challenges faced at the Imota Rice Mill, situated in the outskirts of Lagos, where rice packaging relies heavily on electricity from the national grid, resulting in significant power consumption.
However, Fashola expressed optimism that the Imota Rice Mill would soon have an alternative power supply, anticipating a positive impact on the market price of Lagos Rice.
During the forum, Fashola emphasized the government’s commitment to strategizing and implementing measures to reduce the cost of essential food items, especially rice, a staple consumed daily by the large population of the state.
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He disclosed ongoing negotiations with Kebbi and Niger States to directly purchase paddy, a key component in rice production, from these northern states. These efforts, coupled with other logistics initiatives, aim to enhance the efficiency and affordability of rice in Lagos.
Echoing Fashola’s sentiments, Hon. Emmanuel Olotu, Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Agriculture, lamented the high production costs in the agricultural sector.
Olotu underscored the state government’s overarching objective to lower food prices and ensure an ample supply of foodstuffs to Lagos residents.
He urged all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to collaborate closely with the government to build a robust system that unlocks the vast potential in the state’s agricultural landscape.
In her address at the stakeholder’s forum, Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, reiterated the government’s dedication to achieving 40 percent food self-sufficiency in the state by next year.
She highlighted the Agricultural and Food System Roadmap (2021-2025), a comprehensive initiative implemented since 2021, which focuses on increasing local food production in Lagos.
Olusanya emphasised the tangible progress made in executing various agricultural development projects, including the Lagos Agripreneurship Programme (LAP), Women in Agriculture (WAI), and Nutrition, as well as the Lagos State Food Market System Transportation Programme introduced in 2023.
These initiatives have not only addressed issues of hunger, malnutrition, and unemployment but have also generated employment opportunities across the agricultural sector in the state.
