Market Access: Lagos To Inaugurate Meat Vans, Last Mile Shops 

By BENJAMIN OMOIKE

LAGOS, Nigeria – Lagos State Government says it will inaugurate 50 Meat Vans at Oko-Oba abattoir, as well as launch the Lagos Last Mile Meat Shops.

The measures, according to the state government, is to control and preserve the meat, thereby ensuring consumption of wholesome meats and bring the market closer to the people.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, made this known while giving account of stewardship of the Ministry in Ikeja, to commemorate the first year of the second term in office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Abisola said that Lagos State Government remains committed to making the state an organised food system and value chain destination, and that it was working around its five-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap (2021-2025), as well as the Food Security Systems Policy Document.

She said the unveiling of Lagos Last Mile Meat shops and utilisation of new Vans would ensure availability of meat for residents, create market access and curb illegality of the transportation of meat carcass across the state.

The Commissioner also added that the state in the last one year had launched various social interventions programmes, such as trader monies for market men and women, embarked on Agric business support initiatives, while building farms across the state.

She said: “The government had over the last one year secured the Lagos food system, leaving no one behind through the Lagos Agric Scholars’ programme while supporting with extension services. We have also supported more than twenty three thousand, nine hundred and eighty six farmers thereby exceeding our target which included rice, fish and poultry farmers. And the state government has through its Coconut Value Chain Development, trained youths and with the Eko Agro mechanisation project the state had been able to procure tractors, mechanised farm implements for the beneficiaries.”

Abisola said the State through the Ministry of Agriculture had continued to embark on social interventions under the Eko Cares Initiative which include the Ounje Eko, food discounted sales, distribution of staple foods to vulnerable families, a welfare initiative for residents, among others.

The Commissioner also added that the State’s Agriculture Sector has contributed about 7 trillion  to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) in the last five years, stressing that the Lagos food market size which is about N9 billion in daily and N5 trillion in annual transaction values is gaining momentum as government continue to scale up food production activities in the state.

Special Adviser to the Governor, on Agriculture, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola stressed that government through its Rice Mill Initiative is partnering with different states in Nigeria to sustain the availability of paddy production and enhance productivity.

Fashola who decried the number of rice consumers in Nigeria and the availability of land for rice production said that the State government is working around the clock to ensure availability of the staple food.

“Because of the size of rice needed, Mr Governor signed an MOU with Niger state being the largest producer of paddy in the country. The Imota rice mill needed 200,000 tonnes of paddy. The partnership with other states is to ensure sustainability of production. We extend our hand of fellowship to all the South West states.

“If we have 20 percent of paddy from Lagos, other South West states will give 40 percent. There is no a single state that can give us all. Once there is paddy we know the production of rice will be sustained. We can not be doing a stop and start approach, it will be injurious and that is why our efforts is to ensure paddy production is sustained.”

He added;” 100,000 tonnes of paddy will give smooth operation for the Rice Mill but the State at the moment, is operating below the target, assuring that the recent collaborations with critical stakeholders will soon yield positive results.”