Lagos supports 17,467 farmers in 5 years

A World Bank-assisted project, Lagos State Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement, and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS PROJECT), has empowered, trained, and supported 17,467 farmers to drive food self-sufficiency in five years.

Mrs Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, State Project Coordinator, APPEALS revealed this at a press conference on Monday, at the APPEALS Coordination office in Lagos, Oko-Oba, Agege.

The theme of the program is: “Zero Hunger: Moving Together for Sustainable Action”.

She said the project had surpassed its goal of 10,000 beneficiaries at the start of 2017.

The Nigerian News Agency reports that the project is a US$200 World Bank-supported project in six states, Lagos, Cross-River, Enugu, Kaduna, kano and Kogi. The project started on March 23, 2017, and will end on March 31, 2023.

It is estimated that the project will create 10,000 direct beneficiaries per state, of which 35% of the direct beneficiaries will be women. It also targets 50,000 farm households per state.

The project is implemented in offices of the state ministry of agriculture, the national coordination office of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja and the World Bank.

reports that the project has three thematic areas, food security, export potential and improvement of livelihoods.

Sagoe-Oviebo said that farmers received support in three value chains, poultry, aquaculture and rice.

She said that the beneficiaries included farmers who benefited directly and indirectly from the project since 2017.

He noted that the project had continued to promote productivity, technology upgrading and value addition through the demonstration of improved technologies.

“Of the number, 7,533 were trained, 3,950 received support with agricultural inputs and equipment, while 1,786 women and young people also benefited and some of them received start-up grants.

“The APPEALS project has created 12,350 jobs in all its activities and has also reduced the probability of being poor by five to 10 per cent.

“Paddy rice productivity in the state has increased from 2.0 metric tons per hectare to 3.5 metric tons. Tilapia increased from 100kg to 140kg, while broiler increased from 1.8kg per bird per cycle to 2.35kg per bird.

“The project has removed sediment from several aquatic drainage channels for fish farmers around Erunwen, Adamo, Igbe, Ijede, Omitoro, Parafa in Ikorodun and Ebute-Afuye, Epe and others.

“There has been a significant increase in the three value chains of the project in the state that are aquaculture, poultry and rice with improved technologies.”

Sagoe-Oviebo noted that the rice value chain had achieved a lot with the new Ofada variety, which had multiple returns for farmers, adding that the quality of rice had greatly improved.

He noted that Ofada rice can now be compared to basmati rice due to its long variety, unique colour and flavour.

He added that products in the rice and aquaculture value chains had met international market standards and currently enjoyed export opportunities.

He added that the project also supported some farmers with colour sorting machines to make Ofada rice presentable and marketable.

“Our goal is to bring one of our products to the international market and we have been able to achieve this in rice and aquaculture.

“We have also supported our farmers in the poultry value chain with pellet feeds, nipple drinkers and probiotics, and it has now helped them produce birds year-round, rather than seasonal farming.

He said that in 2022, the project would complete the recently approved construction of 15 approved cottage industries in 15 different areas of the state, as well as the purchase of transformers for farmers in Araga, Epe.

“In the plans for this year, the APPEALS project will boost the capacity of farmers to produce powdered eggs and also fish canning technology for tilapia.

“We will support some farmers with transformers, while more roads will be built for farms, as well as interventions on the piers in the cage culture of Afowo, Epe.

“We have a lot to do this year and several business plans for farmers will be approved,” he said.

The state coordinator of the project urged farmers to take over the project as it entered the final year of implementation, adding that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would continue to support the project even after it had ended.

He praised the Sanwo-Olu administration for supporting the project and women and people with disabilities as beneficiaries.

Some project beneficiaries praised the state government and the APPEALS project for empowerment.

Ms Seyi Ladega, a poultry farmer from the Erikorodo Poultry Association, Ikorodu, said the project trained farmers on the farm on new broiler production technologies and business plans.

He said the association and other farmers in Ikorodu would transform the area into a West African broiler production hub by 2023, through support from the APPEALS project.