Southwest takes steps to achieve Fed Govt’s food security agenda

The Federal Government’s food security agenda aimed at achieving food self-sufficiency by empowering farmers and transforming rural areas into modern, developed agricultural production centres has received a significant boost.

This followed collaborative initiatives being taken by the Commissioners of Agriculture in the six Southwest states of Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti, to drive rural agricultural development in their respective domains and ultimately, achieve food sufficiency.

Some of the Commissioners, who spoke with The Nation said the move was in line with the current administration’s ongoing restructuring of the agric sector, focusing on the development of local products that have significant competitive advantages and encouraging stronger collaboration among localities and production centres.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, explained, for instance, that the primary objective of the intervention by regional Commissioners of Agriculture is to birth a modern and sustainable agricultural economy that emphasises the production of high-quality products and value addition to align with market demands.

She added that the objective is also to transform rural areas into modern, developed agricultural production centres, by building rural areas and improving the living standards of farmers.

Olusanya, while highlighting the need for the development of agricultural infrastructure and investment in human resources that benefit farmers, said in Lagos, the emphasis has been on improving market access, enhancing capacities, and fostering aggregation.

She, however, called on other Southwest States, including Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti, to support Lagos. Her words: “It is recognised among members of the region that for one area to advance, others must also participate in uptake.

“Also, a crucial element of our strategy in Lagos is to develop a large-scale uptake market, which will require a substantial flow of food items.

“These item will be sourced from various regions throughout the country. As a result, the necessary level of collaboration and synergy to achieve this goal must be elevated.”

Olusanya underscored the importance of regional agricultural advancement as a crucial factor in facilitating widespread transformation, stressing that it is essential for the cooperating states to commit wholeheartedly to enhancing agricultural productivity.

“The ‘Produce for Lagos Initiative’, along with the ‘Central Food Security and Logistics Hub’, represent some of the key initiatives we are advancing to mitigate our dependence on food imports from other regions and to fortify local food production,” Olusanya told The Nation.

Also speaking, the Osun State Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Security, Otunba Babatola Faseru, said he and his counterparts in other states of the region are collaborating to enhance agro-processing services and implement strategies aimed at improving food security.

He stated that the meeting of regional Commissioners of Agriculture held last year was focused on increasing farmers’ income and strengthening food security.

Faseru explained that after their meeting, they agreed to work in unison to attain food sufficiency and mitigate hunger in the Southwest.

“After our meeting, we decided to work together to ensure food sufficiency is achieved in the Southwest We also resolved to keep hunger at bay,” he stated.

Faseru emphasised that the Commissioners are committed to advancing the presidential initiative on food sufficiency by promoting rural development, improving the welfare of farmers and fishermen, and innovating agricultural technologies.

He listed other commitments to include addressing labour shortages, managing farmland resources, modernising infrastructure, upgrading facilities, and fostering inter-Commissioner cooperation.

Faseru said in demonstration of these commitments, the regional Commissioners of Agriculture have intensified the distribution of resources to farmers across the region.

“We have intensified the distribution of inputs to farmers across the region. We are giving out machines to help farmers in processing their produce and enhance value addition.

“In all spectrums, we are doing a lot to push the food security agenda of the nation by assisting the farmers,” he stated.

Faseru further said the regional Commissioners have also resolved to conduct regular consultations in order to assess the progress of the regional food security strategy implementation, as it has become crucial to evaluate production, supply chain, and trade dynamics.

He reiterated that the Federal Government’s plan is to boost food self-sufficiency rate by assisting farmers in the production of eggs, fruits, meats, dairy products, and crops, which will be sufficient for daily consumption within the country.

“We meet from time to time. I am sure we will soon meet to assess the progress so far. You can see that Commissioners of Agriculture are working hard to change the face of the sector. We are supporting crop farmers and equally pushing livestock development,” the Osun State Commissioner of Agriculture said.

In Osun, the government is collaborating with farmers to enhance the management of the livestock and poultry sectors, aiming to elevate production quality.

The State has been providing assistance to poultry farmers through the provision of essential inputs. It has supplied them with day-old chicks and feed. It has also extended the support to piggery farmers in the State by providing piglets.

Recall that sometime last year, the Southwest Governors’ Forum had at its meeting, highlighted the challenges of food inflation in Nigeria and its peculiar impact in the Southwest States.

The Governors tasked the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission with facilitating a strategic meeting with the Commissioners of Agriculture from the six Southwest States and relevant industry stakeholders.

The meeting was aimed at devising actionable plans to bring down food prices within a few months. And in attendance were Commissioners as well as stakeholders from the private sector, including experts in crop and livestock production, finance, geographic information systems (GIS), and other relevant fields.

During the meeting, each State presented their ongoing initiatives such as tractor service subsidies, data gathering and analysis and strategic farm input distribution.

However, they also highlighted major challenges around land clearing, mechanisation, insecurity, irrigation, production, processing, logistics, and infrastructure among others.