CADP generates 18,000 jobs through agriculture

The state CADP coordinator, Mr Kehinde Ogunyinka at a media interactive session in Lagos explained that the project has supported 3,508 beneficiaries and indirectly influenced over 80,000 others  with 6,000 direct and 12,000 indirect jobs.He said the forum with the theme, “Media and the challenges of food security in Nigeria” was organised for stakeholders in […]

The state CADP coordinator, Mr Kehinde Ogunyinka at a media interactive session in Lagos explained that the project has supported 3,508 beneficiaries and indirectly influenced over 80,000 others  with 6,000 direct and 12,000 indirect jobs.
He said the forum with the theme, “Media and the challenges of food security in Nigeria” was organised for stakeholders in the industry to showcase the results and impacts of projects on small-medium commercial farmers in the state.
He said in 2012, through its intervention fund to the commercial farmers, CADP contributed about 12.75 per cent to the Lagos State Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Ogunyinka also said that the project had supported 1,483 farmers under the aquaculture value chain with various inputs including collapsible fish tanks, extruding technology; fish seed; solar submersible pumping machine, smoking kiln; pen and cage culture system and tricycle and so on.
He listed other beneficiaries to include 1,284 farmers under the rice value chain, with 300 of them in the estate and input in poultry from point of lay and cage, day old chicks’ hatchery and incubator, deflowering machine, blast freezer and cold room.
Ogunyinka said, “The promotion of the use of fitted battery cage for poultry birds by the project beneficiaries has resulted in the reduction of mortality and disease transmission by over 15 per cent, increase in egg production 20 per cent and feed wastage by over 40 per cent.”
He disclosed that CADP also aided farmers in the area of infrastructure with construction of a total of 22.19 kilometers of rural roads in 10 locations to fast-track movement of farm produce to market places.
The project coordinator also said it assisted farmers in the area of energy support to compliment agro processing activities, and has also  opened a market information Kiosks (MIKs) known as CADP/CADA MIK at Agege main market, Ayetoro and Ayeangburen markets in Lagos to offer services to people looking for current and easy access to information on products and prices.
A farmer and media consultant with BridgeWorld Communications, Mr Gboyega Akosile in a presentation at the forum said the farmers are the real heroes of the nation, while food insecurity is a global crisis and urged the media to “access and disseminate information while acting as a link between the farmers, government, policy makers and donor agencies.”
Akosile urged the media to set the agenda by stressing the need for the National Assembly to legislate so that the federal government should implement the 10 per cent Africa Union Maputo Declaration that will assist farmers to develop the agricultural sector in the country