LASG Reviews Agricultural Laws to Boost Food Security, Investment, Innovation
Lagos State Government has commenced a comprehensive review of laws governing the agricultural sector, with stakeholders advocating a modern legal framework capable of strengthening food security, attracting investment and supporting innovation across the food value chain.
The review process began on Thursday at the Fresh Food Hub, Mushin, during a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems.
Speaking at the meeting, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, said the exercise was not merely about reviewing existing laws but a strategic effort to align the State’s agricultural legal framework with the realities of a rapidly changing Lagos.
Olusanya said the State’s growing population, expanding urban landscape, changing land-use patterns, technological advancements and emerging business models had made it necessary to reassess the laws guiding the sector.
She noted that agriculture had evolved beyond traditional farming to encompass an entire food system involving production, mechanisation, aquaculture, livestock, processing, storage, transportation, logistics, marketing, technology, finance, insurance, research, data and distribution.
According to her, the review would determine whether existing laws provide an enabling environment for farmers and agribusinesses, facilitate responsible private-sector investment, address emerging technologies and business models, clarify institutional responsibilities and strengthen enforcement and compliance.
“We cannot aspire to build a competitive, technology-driven and investment-friendly agricultural sector while relying entirely on a legal framework designed around circumstances that may no longer reflect the realities of today’s Lagos,” Olusanya said.
She urged stakeholders to use the review process to have difficult conversations, challenge existing assumptions and propose practical solutions that would promote productive agriculture, encourage investment and innovation, protect legitimate interests and strengthen food security.
Also speaking, the Director of the Legal Unit in the Ministry, Ms. Temitope Dawodu, said the engagement marked a decisive step towards safeguarding food security, improving regulatory efficiency and modernising the legal structures governing agricultural production, processing, trade and land management in the State.
Dawodu said the review would focus on identifying outdated provisions, resolving overlapping institutional mandates and incorporating contemporary practices, including climate-smart agriculture, agri-tech innovation, food safety standards and improved market access.
She stressed that the reform could not be developed in isolation, noting that the experiences of smallholder farmers, fisheries and aquaculture operators, livestock breeders, agro-processors, logistics providers, investors and other stakeholders were critical to producing laws that would be practical, inclusive and enforceable.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the Law Reform Commission, Mrs. Olufunsho Olodo said the proposed agricultural sector Bills were designed to modernise the legal framework supporting agriculture in Lagos State.
Olodo explained that the proposed reforms sought to make agricultural support more accessible, clarify institutional responsibilities, strengthen food and animal safety, improve access to skills and productive assets, encourage responsible private investment and protect the natural resources upon which agriculture depends.
She added that the proposed Bills would provide clearer frameworks for licensing, registration, inspection, traceability, complaints and appeals, thereby reducing uncertainty and improving confidence in agricultural products and services.
According to her, the reforms were also expected to support job creation across the agricultural value chain while ensuring that regulation protects the public without placing unnecessary burdens on small operators.
Olodo emphasised that the Bills remained proposals until enacted, adding that stakeholder participation would be crucial to refining the proposed legislation and ensuring that the eventual laws were workable, inclusive and capable of delivering measurable benefits across Lagos State.
She said the ultimate objective was to build an agricultural sector that produces more, protects public health, supports responsible enterprise and sustainably manages land, water, animals and forests.
Concerns were raised by stakeholders in the agricultural sector over harassment by state officials, multiple taxation, high registration fees, fears over the loss of wetlands, and the composition of the board, which is to be chaired by the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems.
