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Food Security: Lagos urges stakeholders to support poultry, aquaculture

 *The Lagos State Government urges stakeholders in poultry and aquaculture industries to seek ways of removing all bottlenecks associated with implementation of APPEALS project in view of the looming food crisis resulting from COVID-19 pandemic and security challenges in Nigeria

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

As a measure towards preventing the collapse of the poultry and aquaculture industries, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, has urged stakeholders to intensify efforts at halting the increasing prices of soybeans and maize in the markets.

Represented by Dr. Shakirudeen Onasanya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, at the Pre-6th Implementation Support Mission of Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS) in Lagos, Ms. Olusanya said there’s scarcity and near absence of soybeans, which among factors, are militating increased production.

Poultry & Aquaculture Production

The Commissioner for Agriculture said unless there was an urgent intervention, the industry might shut down.

She said: “I implore this mission’s team to look critically at ways of removing all bottlenecks associated with implementation of APPEALS project, especially because of the looming food crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and other security challenges in the country.

“Stakeholders in two of our value chains – poultry and aquaculture – are facing major challenge of feed cost.

“The solution to this and many more crises is what we as implementers of intervention projects should be looking into.’’

Onasanya stated the Pre-6th Implementation Support Mission of the APPEALS meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders to interact and contribute immensely to the actualisation of the project’s objective of enhancing agricultural productivity of small and medium scale farmers.

It also supports improving value addition along the chosen priority value chains which are poultry, aquaculture and rice in Lagos State, said she.

According to her, the state government through the Ministry of Agriculture is providing maximum support to the project in ensuring that the contribution of these value chains to food security, local production, improvement of livelihood as well as creation of export market are sustained.

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