Lagos moves to stabilise food prices, boost food security
The Lagos State Government has pledged to intensify efforts to ensure food security by stabilising the prices of food items across markets in the state.
The government also said the establishment of food hubs was aimed at guaranteeing the safety of food and other consumables, protecting residents’ well-being and addressing logistics challenges that contribute to the rising cost of food distribution.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Systems, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, gave the assurance in an interview with journalists at the JJT Park in Alausa after a walk to the Ikeja Under-Bridge to commemorate this year’s World Food Day.
Fashola said the walk was organised to sensitise the public to the need to contribute to agriculture and food production in the state, including through subsistence farming.
According to him, this year’s World Food Day theme, “Innovate Today to Nourish Tomorrow,” was timely, noting that food security in any society would ultimately translate to social security.
The Special Adviser said various policies and initiatives implemented by the state government had contributed significantly to creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive across the agricultural value chain.
Fashola added that about 3,500 stakeholders in the agricultural sector would be empowered during the celebration, while financial support for members of the Agrinnovation Club had been increased to ₦200 million this year to encourage more young Nigerians to see a viable future in the sector.
On his part, the General Manager of British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, Oludare Odusami, said the organisation’s support for aquaculture and poultry farming was deliberate because of their significant contributions to nutritious food production.
He disclosed that the foundation would distribute essential materials to poultry farmers involved in layer production at the Police College, Lagos, as part of activities marking this year’s World Food Day.
