{"id":18410,"date":"2025-11-12T16:45:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/?p=18410"},"modified":"2025-11-12T18:01:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:01:07","slug":"sanwo-olu-expands-ounje-eko-farmers-discount-programme-to-sustain-food-production-ahead-of-yuletide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/12\/sanwo-olu-expands-ounje-eko-farmers-discount-programme-to-sustain-food-production-ahead-of-yuletide\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanwo-Olu Expands Ounje Eko Farmers\u2019 Subsidy Programme to Sustain Food Production Ahead of Yuletide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Lagos State Government has announced the commencement of Phase II of the <\/span>Ounje Eko Farmers\u2019 Subsidy Programme<\/span>, an agricultural intervention aimed at sustaining food production, empowering farmers, and stabilizing food prices across the state ahead of the festive season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, <\/span>Ms. Abisola Olusanya<\/span>, made the announcement during a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Olusanya said the initiative, introduced by the administration of <\/span>Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu<\/span>, was designed to cushion the impact of rising production costs, particularly in the poultry and fishery sectors, where feed expenses account for over 70 percent of total production costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

She noted that the first phase of the programme, launched earlier in the year, recorded significant success, benefiting over <\/span>5,000 farmers<\/span>, supplying <\/span>993.3 metric tons of poultry feed<\/span> and <\/span>265.65 metric tons of fish feed<\/span>, sustaining the production of <\/span>258,000-layer birds<\/span>, and yielding over <\/span>7 million eggs<\/span> and <\/span>177,100 catfish<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The intervention, she added, also helped reduce the price of eggs from \u20a66,000 to between \u20a65,000 and \u20a65,400 per crate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding on this success, Governor Sanwo-Olu has approved the implementation of the second phase, expanding its reach and scope to provide greater impact across various value chains,\u201d the Commissioner said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the new phase, farmers will benefit from a <\/span>25% subsidy on poultry and fish feeds<\/span>, including layer mash, broiler feed, and various fish feed sizes ranging from 2mm to 6mm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The programme also includes the <\/span>free distribution of grains to pig farmers<\/span> and <\/span>fertilizer to crop farmers<\/span>, as well as the provision of <\/span>agricultural equipment and inputs<\/span> to crop farming clusters across Lagos State to enhance mechanization and reduce manual labour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Equipment to be distributed include power tillers, mini tractors, fish smoking kilns, sprayers, planters, generators, and other essential farm tools. In addition, farmers will receive a <\/span>25% subsidy on Eko Agro Mechanization Services<\/span>, while government extension agents will continue to provide training and technical support to ensure improved productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The subsidy programme will begin on <\/span>Wednesday, November 19, 2025<\/span>, across <\/span>10 designated centres statewide<\/span>, including Agege, Epe, Badagry, Ikorodu, Ojo, Ajah, Ipaja, Mosan, and Ibeju-Lekki.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Participation will be limited to registered and recognized farmer associations such as the <\/span>Poultry Association of Nigeria (Lagos Chapter)<\/span>, the <\/span>Lagos State Catfish Allied Farmers Association of Nigeria (LASCAFAN)<\/span>, and other estate and settlement groups to ensure transparency and accountability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Olusanya disclosed that the ministry would continue to partner with <\/span>Providus Bank<\/span> and <\/span>Zenith Bank<\/span>for financial transparency and accountability in managing the programme\u2019s funds.<\/span><\/p>\n

She added that the ministry is also collaborating with top feed producers such as <\/span>Animal Care Services Konsult<\/span>, <\/span>Olam Agri<\/span>, and <\/span>New Hope Feeds Nigeria<\/span>, whose involvement guarantees quality assurance, smooth distribution, and steady supply of feeds to farmers across the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese partnerships form the backbone of the Ounje Eko Farmers\u2019 Subsidy Programme, guaranteeing efficiency, accountability, and consistent delivery of support to farmers,\u201d she stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

To complement the farmer-focused support, the Lagos State Government will also offer a <\/span>25% discount on essential food items<\/span> at the <\/span>Lagos Fresh Food Hub, Mushin<\/span>, throughout the festive season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Items available at subsidized rates include rice, beans, garri, bread, tomatoes, pepper, onions, smoked fish, frozen chicken, palm oil, vegetable oil, semovita, and assorted fruits.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Olusanya, the initiative will enable residents to celebrate the festive season with affordable food while complementing the government\u2019s broader food system goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Commissioner further announced that the <\/span>Lagos Agrinnovation Summit 2.0<\/span> will hold on <\/span>Thursday, November 13, 2025<\/span>, at Harbour Point, Victoria Island.<\/span><\/p>\n

The summit will convene policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and young agripreneurs to discuss innovations shaping Lagos\u2019 agricultural sector. It will also feature the presentation of awards to winners of the <\/span>Lagos Agrithon 2025<\/span>, showcasing emerging agrifood innovators leveraging technology to enhance food systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Olusanya reaffirmed the state government\u2019s commitment to food security through inclusive and sustainable agricultural policies, adding that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration remains focused on empowering farmers and supporting residents through affordable food initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy linking farmer support with consumer relief, and innovation with policy, Lagos State continues to lead the way in building a resilient, productive, and sustainable food system,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

She expressed appreciation to Governor Sanwo-Olu for his leadership, and to all partners, farmer associations, and media organizations for their collaboration in advancing Lagos\u2019 food security agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lagos State Government has announced the commencement of Phase II of the Ounje Eko Farmers\u2019 Subsidy Programme, an agricultural<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-grassroots"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18410"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18435,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18410\/revisions\/18435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}