Lagos Agriculture sector contributes N7trn to State’s GDP — Commissioner
By Sodiq Adelakun
The Lagos State Government has revealed that the agriculture sector contributed N7 trillion to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024.
This disclosure was made by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, during the ongoing 2024 Ministerial Press Briefing at Alausa Ikeja, commemorating the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Kadri Hamzat’s second term in office.
In her words, Olusanya said, “In Nigeria, Agriculture contributes 25 percent to the GDP. But in Lagos, Agriculture encompasses a lot up to food production, so agriculture contributes N7 trillion in the last couple of years to the Lagos economy.
“This is to tell you that we have the potential, there is opportunity. We will not relent in terms of making it better,” she added.
In addition, the commissioner announced that the state government is collaborating with other states to ensure a steady supply of 200,000 tonnes of paddy required at the Imota Rice Mill.
She also revealed that at least 10,000 heads of cattle are slaughtered daily in the state.
However, she noted that there are significant data gaps and loopholes in the red meat production chain, which are often exploited by individuals. To address this, the state plans to utilise the logistics hub in Epe to improve data collection and plug the loopholes.
“The Lagos Rice Mill is 2 lines of 16MTPH integrated mill sited on 8.5 hectares of land at Imota. The rice mill has a capacity to produce 2.4 million bags of 50 kg bags of Rice yearly using 200,000 Metric tonnes of paddy annually.
“The Mill is part of the government’s commitment towards ensuring food security in the State which is a key component of the T.H.E.M.E.S + Development Agenda of Mr. Governor to make Lagos State a 21st Century economy,” She added.
Also speaking, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, Special Adviser on Agriculture, reiterated the state government’s partnership with other states to ensure a steady supply of paddy.
“Because of the size of rice needed, Mr Governor signed an MOU with Niger state being the largest producer of paddy in the country.
“The Imota rice mill needed 200,000 tonnes of paddy. The partnership with other states is to ensure sustainability of production. We extend our hand of fellowship to all the South West states,” He added.
