The Lagos State Government has distributed farm inputs to farmers in the state to encourage the productivity of farmers and foster food security.
The distribution of the items which included Knapsack sprayers, organic manure, matches, hoes, safety gadgets, water pumps, digital movable scales and N1m each to farmers groups, took place on Thursday at the annual “Farmers Field/Appreciation Day”.
The event, which was aimed at encouraging farmers, was organised by the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority (LSADA).
In her address at the event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, said that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State prioritised agriculture development as one of the key areas of his administration.
According to Olusanya, the earlier the farmers get to know the premium placed on them by the state, the better for the state.
“Farmers field day is specially set aside to appreciate and support farmer groups in various sites across the state through the presentation of inputs and financial assistance to enhance productivity.
“This is to address the problem of household food security and perceived poverty among the smallholder farmers of the country.
“The Federal Government, in 2002, initiated and designed the National Programme for Food Security (NPFS).
“Lagos State, being one of the selected states for the pilot phase, recorded an impressive performance that qualified it for the Expanded Phase and later on advanced to the third phase.
“The state has sustained the NPFS in all its nine sites in the three Senatorial Districts of the state through the State Programme for Food Security (SPFS) to enhance access to variety of foods to the citizens,” she said.
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The commissioner, who stressed the importance of technology in the advancement of the state’s food security agenda, charged the farmers to embrace new technology innovations in the sector to improve their yield.
She noted that the performance of groups in productivity was the criteria used in the selection of beneficiaries and asked those given inputs to reciprocate the gesture by making food available to the people.
On their part, the farmers commended the state government and promised to improve their output with the inputs and cash given to them.
Mr Ajewole Olarewaju, a farmer from Ikorodu who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said that the farmers were not only going to improve on productivity, but also create more jobs for the youths.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Igbogbo Ibaiyeku of site 10, Ajara/Iyaafin site 9, Evergreen site 5, Mitonwe Tiwani site 4, Ayobo/Ipaja site 7, Igbalu Gbenegbe site 6 and Labora groups got N1m each.