Farmers in Lagos State have called for improved access to land, finance, equipment and transportation to enable them to double local food production.
The farmers said the support would help the state achieve its target of increasing its contribution to food consumed locally from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.
Mrs Mayriam Ali, Chairperson, Ojo Farmers Community, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
Ali said farmers in Ojo were already producing vegetables in significant quantities despite limited resources and other challenges.
“Lagos has enough. I am very sure that we have enough.
“The vegetable that is coming out from Ojo Local Government, 75 per cent of it is going outside the country,” she said.
She said farmers around the Lagos State University and military barracks were also producing vegetables that could contribute significantly to local food supply.
According to her, vegetables are among the agricultural products Lagos can produce in large quantities for both local consumption and export.
Ali identified access to land, finance, machinery, irrigation and transportation as critical to expanding agricultural production across the state.
She noted that the short production cycle of some vegetables made it possible to increase output within a relatively short period.
“Our vegetable is for three weeks. When you plant now, three weeks, you are ready to harvest.
“So, it is achievable if government comes to the field and looks at the problems we have,” she said.
Ali urged officials responsible for agricultural programmes to visit farms regularly to identify the specific challenges confronting farmers.
She said such visits would enable the government to provide targeted assistance based on farmers’ actual needs rather than relying solely on general agricultural programmes.
The farmers’ leader also advocated support schemes that would enable beneficiaries to repay assistance received, rather than depending entirely on grants.
She suggested that government could provide equipment or finance for specific farm projects and monitor how the support was utilised.
Ali identified transportation as another major challenge, saying farmers sometimes had produce ready for sale but struggled to move it from farms to markets because of high transportation costs.
She called for better arrangements to transport agricultural produce to airports and other markets, saying this would create more opportunities for farmers seeking to export their products.
Ali expressed confidence that stronger collaboration between the government and farmers could help Lagos increase local food production and reduce its dependence on food supplied from other states.
NAN reports that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had said more than 70 per cent of food consumed in Lagos was produced outside the state.
Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure on Aug. 12 during the commissioning of the Mid-Level Agro-Produce Hub in Pen Cinema, Agege.
He said the state was targeting increased food production within Lagos to enable local farmers to supply a larger share of the food consumed by residents.
(NAN)