edungene7:
Obi to the rescue the ebin pawa crew would be rejoicing at the moment when you voted a brain dead president Ebi must reset your mendula

Simplemeeeee:


Suddenly Obi discovered his mojo. Mojo that he couldn't conceive or implement when he was Governor.

He should rest abeg

FreeStuffsNG:
This is an initiative started by HE Ambode when he signed same Agric produce farming MOU with then Kebbi State Governor, HE Bagauda, now the current Minister of National Budget and Planning.

It's great that HE Sanwo-Olu, his successor,now with Niger state Governor, continued with it. There's always continuity of great initiatives in Lagos. We are known for that.

God bless Lagos state and may God bless Nigeria for ever!Check my signature for free stuffs!

naptu2:
THE MEGA CITY AND THE STOMACH

Dear diary, I have told you about the mega city status of Lagos and how people like Bola Tinubu, Olusegun Obasanjo, Gbenga Daniel and Babatunde Fashola tried to create measures to tackle the challenges posed by having such a large number of people in such a small area.

Whenever we think of these measure, we often think of physical infrastructure that would counter the challenges in transportation (rail, ferry, buses, etc), healthcare (more hospitals and clinics), education (more schools and classrooms) and security (more policemen and more equipment), but we hardly think about the stomach.

Yes, the stomach! If you have so many people in such a small area, then all those stomachs must be fed. The increase in population will create the problem of too many people chasing too few food. This will lead to massive increases in the price of food. How do you solve this problem?

In the old days

I remember that, once upon a time, in the era of Governors Jakande, Aikhigbe and Rasaki, the government established farm settlements in rural parts of Lagos. These farm settlements were set up to resolve several problems at once. They provided employment, they were a source of revenue for the government, they provided training and skills acquisition and they were a source of food for Lagos (this was important especially after the food crisis of 1982 and 1983).

The government set up farm settlements in places like Ojo, Badagry, Lekki, Ibeju Lekki, Ikorodu and Epe and youths and other people were encouraged to go and work on the farms.

The modern era.

However, this idea will not solve the problem today. Lagos is one of the smallest states in Nigeria and its population has exploded beyond what the produce from the farm settlements can satisfy.

Besides, due to the population explosion, the city is rapidly expanding and those places that were rural areas in the 1980s are now part of the city. I remember when Lekki was just a large bush filled with lots of swamps and elephant grass, but now it is one of the fastest growing corridors in Africa. Ibeju Lekki will soon also join Lekki to become one of the fastest growing areas in Africa. The Ojo and Badagry areas will rapidly become urban when the Blue Line rail project and the various projects in Badagry (port, refinery, energy city) are completed. The City of Lagos has already spread to include Ikorodu. Therefore, there are not enough rural areas in which to establish farm settlements.

Governor Babatunde Fashola decided to solve this problem through a three-pronged approach.

1) He signed agreements with states like Ogun, Osun, Oyo and Kebbi so that Lagos could establish farms in these states in exchange for a fee. The produce from these farms would be brought to Lagos and sold for the benefit of Lagosians. This would provide food for the large population of the state.

2) The youths that were being trained to farm in Lagos would also work on these farms in order to get some experience.

3) He also decided that Lagos should not only be involved in producing raw food, rather it should be involved in processing food. This is the topic of this post - Lagos' efforts to process food.

Governor Fashola decided to establish a rice mill in Imota.

Imota is an area between Ikorodu and Epe, right on the border between Lagos and Ogun States. It is the site of one of the old farm settlements that I wrote about earlier.

Governor Fashola built a 20,000 metric tonnes rice mill at Imota, so that the rice that is grown in those farms that Lagos acquired outside the state can be processed at the mill and this will further provide employment for the people of Lagos. Rice is one of the most consumed foodstuff in Lagos.

Governor Fahola commissioned the project before he left office.

However, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode came and pulled down what Fashola built because he wanted to build an even bigger rice mill on the site (probably the biggest in Africa). Governor Ambode wanted to increase the capacity of the mill from 2.5 to 16 metric tonnes per hour. This obviously delayed the project and it could not be completed before Ambode left office. (The agreement between Lagos and Kebbi State led to the production of Lake Rice. Lake = LAgos and Kebbi).

Governor Sanwo-Olu was determined to complete the project and it is currently being test-run. It is most likely going to be one of the projects that President Buhari will commission when he visits Lagos in January.

The Story

Now to the meat of the matter.

There is a former Nairalander who was one of my followers when he was a member of this site. I considered him to be one of the sensible Nairalanders. However, unfortunately, something happened to him ahead of the 2015 elections. It seems like he became deeply and emotionally involved in those elections. He started posting strange things and I was wondering, "Surely he must know that those things that he is posting are not true".

Anyway, he deactivated his Nairaland account after the elections.

Someone tweeted a video of the the trial run of the Imota Rice Mill and this guy replied with, "This is not the job of the government, and the reason will become clear soon enough. Check back in a year".

Unfortunately for him, there were two problems. (1) He didn't know enough about the project to enable him make an informed criticism and (2) the person that he responded to has a lot (a very large number) of militant followers.

You see, the government is not going to run the plant. Governor Fashola was known for despising new government parastatals and preferring to let the private sector run things (I will write more about this in my transport series), so you wouldn't expect him to create a government run mill.

The fact of the matter is that the Lagos State Government has signed an agreement with the West African Cotton Company (WACOT), which is one of the largest agro-processing companies in Nigeria, to ensure that WACOT runs the Imota Rice Mill. The former Nairalander did not know this.

He was roasted for several hours. It was almost a full day by the time I saw the tweet and they were still attacking him. He made another tweet in which he said that people were attacking him simply because he said that government shouldn't run a rice mill, but someone replied that it was the way he said it that made people attack him, while another person replied that he lied and that's why people are attacking him.

It seems like some of the people that are attacking him actually know him, because they claim that he never sees anything good in anything that government does.

He responded to a tweet that asked, "What do you fear most", with "Tinubu supporters".

I need to go and check if they've stopped attacking him.

Side story

This reminded me of another person. There is a former moderator on Nairaland who I have always assumed was a serious and sensible person. He sometimes asks me questions and I answer if I can. However, the guy has started doing something really strange and this has forced me to put him on my ignore list.

The guy began asking me questions, for example about the Imota Rice Mill, as if I am the one that is personally constructing the mill. I'm not sure if I've ever discussed the mill with him, but, the construction of the mill was delayed because Governor Ambode decided to expand it and this guy started questioning me as if I was responsible for the delay.

That's when I realised that he was not serious at all and decided to put him in my ignore list. All the information that I post is publicly available, so he should go and search for it if he really wants to know.

richidinho:
Obi is a genius, whatever he says is not taken for granted

Sanwolu be like since the president dey slag, make we take Obi's advice sharp sharp

Peter Obi as president, Every Local govt in Nigeria will be empowered to own a large farm, either in your LGA or outside even your state

chopnaira:

LMAO.

richidinho:
Obi is a genius, whatever he says is not taken for granted

Sanwolu be like since the president dey slag, make we take Obi's advice sharp sharp

Peter Obi as president, Every Local govt in Nigeria will be empowered to own a large farm, either in your LGA or outside even your state






Stop saying what you don't know,you never taste orange you say he sweet

Think9ja:


If na Obi go make Nigeria better then make Nigeria no ever better.

Very useless man

LadyExcellency:
Lagos State should leave the Niger State Government alone and partner with private investors in agriculture from Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and Osun States

Chibuzoripob:
thank God,u nor mention our 5% b4 yarimo,leodeking, LegendHero, Benuejosh,ipobarecriminals drag us to the mud

tollyboy5:

Stop all this, Lagos kebbi state deal that have birth to lake rice was Peter oni advice also

Hype man

LadyExcellency:
Lagos State should leave the Niger State Government alone and partner with private investors in agriculture from Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and Osun States

JustYourself:
Barren south west states

richidinho:
Obi is a genius, whatever he says is not taken for granted

Sanwolu be like since the president dey slag, make we take Obi's advice sharp sharp

Peter Obi as president, Every Local govt in Nigeria will be empowered to own a large farm, either in your LGA or outside even your state

ektbear:
By Niki Moore - Jul 26, 2011 7:43 AM PT

Nigeria’s Lagos state, home to the country’s biggest city, may buy land elsewhere in the nation to grow rice to meet the city’s needs.

The state is already introducing irrigation and encouraging mechanization to boost rice production, Rotimi Fashola, a consultant at the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Co- operatives, told the Rice Africa Outlook conference in Durban, South Africa, today.

“We cannot rely on imports,” he said. “We are looking to acquire land in neighboring states as Lagos is land poor.”

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is the biggest consumer and importer of rice on the continent. The country is forecast to import about 1.9 million metric tons of the grain this year, or about 41 percent of its 4.65 million ton forecast consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which also forecast production at 2.7 million tons.

“Lagos is a microcosm of greater Nigeria,” Fashola said. “Its 18 million inhabitants consume the most par-boiled rice in the world, with an average of 34 kilograms per person per annum.”

Fashola estimates of production and imports are higher than those of the USDA. Legal imports into Nigeria are about 1.6 million tons a year and another 450,000 tons are smuggled from neighboring Benin, he said. Production is 3.4 million tons, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/nigeria-s-lagos-state-may-acquire-land-to-grow-rice-consultant-says.html

EkoIle1:
LASG To Harvest Farm Produce From 10,000 Hectares Of Land


Posted By On October 23, 2012 @ 1:13 pm In Business,Business News | No Comments

The Lagos State Government is to harvest farm produce from 10,000 hectares of land it acquired in other states before the end of the year, says Governor Babatunde Fashola.

Fashola, who spoke at an event marking the World Food Day in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, said the government had acquired land in Osun, Ogun and Oyo states, among others to cultivate farm produce.

According to him, “the farm produce from these farms are expected in the state before the end of this year,” adding that the government was determined to feed the populace with what it produced.

The governor urged farmers and producers of agricultural products to take advantage of the various initiatives in the sector as well as the opportunities provided through cooperative societies for their personal and collective good.

Fashola, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Oluranti Adebule, said the government was striving to ensure food security in the state.

He said the theme of the celebration, which is “Agricultural Cooperatives: Key to Feeding the World,” was very relevant to the initiatives being adopted to address food shortages worldwide.

Fashola added that the need to increase food production through cooperative activities could not be over emphasized in view of the estimated 925 million hungry people in the world today and 70 percent living in the rural areas where agriculture remained the main source of survival and sustenance.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal said efforts had been made to improve productivity in agriculture by focusing on the whole value chain with emphasis on enterprises where the state had comparative advantage.

He stated that the state’s involvement in agriculture was to attain food security and job creation to which all stakeholders, particularly those in agricultural estates had contributed immensely.

“Farmers have been linked effectively to markets creating job opportunities in poultry, agriculture, fisheries and horticulture in the state,” he added.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/10/23/lasg-to-harvest-farm-produce-from-10000-hectares-of-land/print/

1bunne4lif:
suffer head like you

richidinho:
Obi is a genius, whatever he says is not taken for granted

Sanwolu be like since the president dey slag, make we take Obi's advice sharp sharp

Peter Obi as president, Every Local govt in Nigeria will be empowered to own a large farm, either in your LGA or outside even your state

LadyExcellency:
Lagos State should leave the Niger State Government alone and partner with private investors in agriculture from Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and Osun States

Agric Yes program: Over 300 youths empowered in Lagos

September 27, 2012
BY DANIEL ETEGHE


The Lagos State Agriculture Youth Empowerment Scheme, popularly known as “Agric-YES” aimed at empowering youths, has s far empowered over three hundred youths with an additional one hundred participants undergoing training at the moment.

Course Officer for Vegetable , Mr. Hakeem Anjolaiya, who disclosed this at the institute training centre at Epe, said that the overall aim of the scheme is to breed a new generation of agro-entrepreneurs in poultry, fish farming, bee-keeping and all season vegetable farming.


BY DANIEL ETEGHE
The Lagos State Agriculture Youth Empowerment Scheme, popularly known as “Agric-YES” aimed at empowering youths, has s far empowered over three hundred youths with an additional one hundred participants undergoing training at the moment.

Course Officer for Vegetable , Mr. Hakeem Anjolaiya, who disclosed this at the institute training centre at Epe, said that the overall aim of the scheme is to breed a new generation of agro-entrepreneurs in poultry, fish farming, bee-keeping and all season vegetable farming.



Anjolaiya said the students of the institute normally go through six months intensive training and also a period of internship before they are left on their own as full fledged farmers.

He explained that after the training, the government gives the participants money and some plots of land to assist them to go into mechanized agriculture.

“Since this programme started in 2009, we have trained about 300 youths and we are in the fourth batch of training 100 of them. We train them in poultry farming, crop farmers, fish farmers meat production and so on

“We get our students through advertisement in the media after that we conduct a test for them, we usually collect 36 female and 64 males for each batch of student to sum up as 100 participants for a session” he said.

He further noted that after the training that the participants would be divided into co-operatives and each co-operative would be given the sum of N100million to carry out their agricultural venture.

According to him, “apart from the N100million, the participants were also given accommodation where they can live with their own families. We also have a fully automated layer pen where we generate 500 crates of eggs per day, people are coming to buy them and we move out as much that we can produce. We can’t even meet the demand of the market now”

Also speaking during the chat, the Project Officer, Ram Ranch, Mr. Johnson Oluwashola disclosed that the institute has between 1,000 and 1,500 rams.

He explained that the rams were brought into the farm at five months old where they were trained to maturity, stressing that though they were not involved in the breeding process of the rams, that the institute will soon embark on breeding at the ram ranch in the nearest future.

Johnson said the success recorded at the farm is part of the state government’s investment in agriculture as a way of job creation and food security in the state.

Rice for job is another lucrative project that has helped to provide job opportunities to most youths as well as increase the volume of rice produced in the state.

At the Imota rice processing mill still in Ikorodu, a consultant to the Lagos state government on rice project, Dr. Oluwa Rotimi Fashola pointed out that rice that were processed at the mill were far better that those polished rice that are in the market because of the nutrient inherent in it.

He said that the mill has three main buildings where you have the paddy that is raw rice brought from the farm to main building where the rice is processed and to the store room where it is stored before it is dispatched to the market.

According to him, “we produce 2.5 tones per hour and an approximate 15,000 to 20,000 thousand tones per annum which is about four hundred bags of 50kg rice.”

Asked the type of rice that they deal on, Dr. Fashola said”Eko rice is a special brand of rice which is FARO 44 or FARO 52. We use this type of grain of rice for uniformity and that helps in monitoring the standard that we produce. We specialize in doing per-boiled rice. We supply our rice to the government within the ministry and within the Alausa axis”

One of the beneficiaries of the Rice for Job project, Mr. Adeniyi Ayino said that the programme has helped him a lot adding that now he could operate a tractor very well and work perfectly as a rice farmer.

“It is an interesting programme, it is a good opportunity for youths today and because we want to participate in the solution in ensuring food security in Lagos state that is why some of us go into agriculture” he said.

As for Mrs. Bolaji Dania, a fish farmer in one of the agric estates, the Lagos state government has helped farmers a lot in the state by assisting them with feeds adding that the government went as far as providing the needed information to farmers on how to improve their farms.

Mrs. Dania who is into Cat fish farming said” I am proud of the government because they have made things easy for farmers like us, being on this estate to farm has helped me a lot in getting access to information from the government, government also subsidise some of the products for us and I was even opportune to get loan from the World Bank through the assistance of the government.

Mrs. Diana further said” I started fish farming with three pounds on one plot 5 years ago and now I have 18 pounds on three plots of land.

DeLaRue:


Large scale farming is easier in the North.

It is difficult to find large stretches of flat land in the SW. Our lands are punctuated by ancient gullies and valleys left behind by long-diasppeared streams and rivers. Then you have forests with large trees.

Big farm machinery don't work well in this sort of environment.

In the North you have flat lands that go on for several kilometres without obstruction.

naptu2:


Make sure you click on the links in the post below, so that you can see when the idea actually started.