The Lagos State Government on Thursday inaugurated a new food market to promote structured agricultural produce marketing for traceability and quality assurance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the market is located at Agbalata Market in Badagry Local Government Area of the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, while inaugurating the market said that it would promote and enhance availability of varieties of food at affordable prices.
Olusanya said the market would create farm gate price advantage for the populace through the elimination of middlemen.
She said that the project was a product of collaborative effort with multilateral agencies, especially the World Bank and the Federal Government.
She said the market would also reduce postharvest losses and give optimum returns to farmers for their efforts.
According to her, the market, which is solely for agricultural produce and value-added products, will get food vendors off the street.
“The state government will continue to be innovative at making households food secure while creating wealth and employment opportunities through the process.
“This market is a crowning glory to all beneficiaries in Badagry LGA vis-a-vis capacity building, provision of infrastructures like farm access road and aggregation centres, advisory services and inputs support as well as assets acquisition for farmers’ groups among others.
“The choice of Agbalata as the site of the market is strategic, being close to the international route and border,’’ Olusanya said.
The special adviser said that Lagos State, being a commercial nerve centre with a growing population of over 20 million residents, was not just interested in consuming food but also striving to make a significant contribution to production.
She said the state was making an impact in value addition and marketing, adding that with the daily influx of people into the state, the consequent food demand had skyrocketed.
According to her, although with limited access to large agricultural land, nonetheless, the state has a comparative advantage in processing and value addition, hence will continue to bring prosperity to the citizenry.
“There is no gainsaying that Lagos is indeed a market place for Nigeria and sub-Sahara African.
“The state government has developed initiatives to optimise the use of available land and regulate the potential within the agricultural space for the benefits of all.
“To springboard these developments, the state has produced a five-year road map (2020 to 2025) for sustainable and inclusive agricultural growth strategy with citizens at the core.
“To put life to this plan, the government is using multi-layered approaches and championing interventions at all levels of production, processing, distribution, financing and support services,’’ she said.
Olusanya said the food market would complement the planned monthly Eko-City Farmers’ market to connect producers with consumers and end-users by using traditional and innovative methods.
She said it would make shopping, making produce accessible, affordable and preserve the nutritional value of farm produce.
She, therefore, appealed to local government councils, communities and market men and women to ensure best hygienic practices in the market and maintain it efficiently.
