Lagos To Acquire Farmlands In Northern States, Says Commissioner

The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it had plans to acquire farmlands in some states in the northern part of the country for crop and livestock production.

The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, said this at the 2014 ministerial briefing in Ikeja, Lagos.

He said the idea behind the project was to rise above the limited availability of arable land in the state with a view to boosting food supply.

Lawal told newsmen that the government had already acquired farmlands in Osun, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory for similar purpose.

He said, “Lagos State, because of its population, is a large consumer of agricultural products and in order to meet the great demands, we are establishing farms in other states, where they have so much arable land.

“Already, we have farms in Ogun, Osun and the FCT and a lot of agricultural activities are going on there.

“And to further boost food supply to the state, we are currently discussing with some states in the North to set up farms there, although the security situation in that region is slowing down the plan a bit.

“When everything is finalised, we hope to be able bridge the food supply-demand gap in the state and make food abundant for our people”.

Lawal noted that only 10 per cent of foods consumed in the state were produced locally and the rest were sourced from other states.

The commissioner said the state government was initiating some programmes to improve the situation and boost production to 25 per cent by 2018.