Lagos allocates estates for poultry, others

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, said the state is only able to locally produce about 10 percent of the food internally consumed in the state, saying the state government is poised to increase its agricultural production to 25 percent between now and 2019 with its various projects and programmes.He said […]

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, said the state is only able to locally produce about 10 percent of the food internally consumed in the state, saying the state government is poised to increase its agricultural production to 25 percent between now and 2019 with its various projects and programmes.
He said in response to the declining lands for agricultural activities and minimizing the activities of land speculators as well as promoting the utilization of agricultural land for its intended purposes, the state has intensified the establishment of agricultural estates where beneficiaries would take the advantage of scale while operating in its micro level.
“The state government will provide the enabling environment to facilitate the private sector in taking advantage of these initiatives; poultry, vegetable, fish farm and arable crops estates,” he said.
He said public presentations of the estates have been carried out while investors shortlisted had been allocated land, adding that the Poultry Estate at Erikorodo in Ikorodu Local Government Area of the state was established to produce about one million eggs and 600,000 live birds annually, adding, “it has been laid out and allocated to 137 investors.”
He added that the allocation is made up of 70 high density, 18 medium scale and 49 small density operators while about 1,000 potential investors have signified interest to participate in the project.
He said the vegetable estate started on 25 hectares of land at Iyaafin in Badagry area of the state which has now been development and laid out has commenced with each beneficiary given a quarter of a hectare, adding, “100 youths have been employed under the irrigated agriculture with emphasis on tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables as well as choice local and exotic leafy plants.”