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 boost food self-sufficiency in five years.
Mrs Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, State Project Coordinator, APPEALS disclosed this at a Media Parley on Monday , at the Lagos APPEALS Coordinating office, Oko-Oba, Agege.
The theme of the programme is: “Zero Hunger: Forging Ahead Together For Sustainable Action”.
She said the project had surpassed its target of 10,000 beneficiaries at inception in 2017.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APPEALS Project is 200 million dollars World Bank Supported project in six states, Lagos, Cross-River, Enugu, Kaduna, kano and Kogi. The project started on March 23, 2017 to end March 31, 2023.
The project is estimated to create 10,000 direct beneficiaries per state, with 35 per cent direct beneficiaries to be women. It also targets 50,000 farm household per state.
The project is implemented by state coordinating offices under the state ministry of agriculture, the national coordinating office under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja and the World Bank.
NAN reports that the project has three thematic areas, food security, export potential and livelihood improvement.
Sagoe-Oviebo said the farmers were supported in three value chains, poultry, aquaculture and rice.
She said the beneficiaries included farmers who benefitted directly and indirectly from the project since 2017.
She noted that the project had continued to promote productivity enhancement technologies and value addition through the demonstration of improved technologies.
“Of the number, 7, 533 were trained, 3,950 were supported with farm inputs and equipment while 1,786 women and youths also benefited with some of them receiving startup grants.
“The APPEALS project has created 12,350 jobs across all its activities and also reduced the likelihood of being poor by five and 10 per cent.
“The productivity of rice paddy in the state has increased from 2.0 metric tons per hectare to 3.5 metric tons. Tilapia has increased from 100 kg to 140 kg, while broiler increased from 1.8kg a bird per cycle to 2.35 kg bird.
“The project has de- silted various drainage channels aqua for aquaculture 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 which are aquaculture, poultry and rice with improved technologies.”
Sagoe-Oviebo noted that the rice value chain had achieved a lot with the new Ofada strain which had multiple yields for the farmers, adding that the quality of rice had been greatly enhanced.
She noted that the Ofada rice could now be compared to the Basmati rice because of its long strain, single colour and taste.
She added that products in rice and aquaculture value chains had met international market standard and presently enjoying export opportunities.
She added that the project also supported some farmers with colour sorting machines to make the Ofada rice presentable and marketable.
“Our target is to make one of our products get into 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 pelletised feeds, nipple drinkers and probiotics and it has helped them to now produce poultry all year round, instead of seasonal farming.
She said that in 2022, the project would complete the recently approved construction of 15 cottage industries approved in 15 different areas of the state as well as purchase transformers for farmers in Araga, Epe.
“On the plans for this year, the APPEALS project will be boosting farmers capacity to produce egg powder and also fish canning technology for tilapia.
“We will support some farmers with transformers, while more roads will be constructed for farm estates as well as jetty interventions at Afowo cage culture, Epe.
“We have a lot going on this year and a number of business plans will be approved for farmers,” she said.
The state project coordinator urged the farmers to own the project as it entered the final implementing year, adding that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu would continue to support the project even after it had ended.
She commended the Sanwo-Olu administration for supporting the project and by including more women and people living with disability as beneficiaries.
Some beneficiaries of the project commended the state government and the APPEALS project for the empowerment.
Mrs Seyi Ladega, a poultry farmer from Erikorodo Poultry Association, Ikorodu, said the project trained farmers in the estate on new technology for broiler production and business plans.
She said that the association and other farmers in Ikorodu would transform the area to a broiler production hub in West Africa by 2023, through the support of the APPEALS project. nan.
