Olasunkanmi Akoni

The United States of America and the Netherlands Governments, have expressed commitment to support the Lagos State Government towards upscaling her potentials in the Agriculture eco-system aimed at boosting food production and ensuring security in the state for over 24 million populace.

The State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems also received accolades for the deliberate policies and initiatives that has widen the Agriculture sector and food value chains by creating new opportunities for young farmers and entrepreneurs.

The Agricultural Counselor

United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Àgricultural Service in Nigeria, Dr. Christopher Bielecki and the Deputy Consul General of Netherlands, Peter Keulers, expressed readiness at the Lagos Agrinnovation Hangout 5.0, held at the Workforce, The Zone, Gbagada, Lagos State at the weekend.

In his presentation at the gathering Dr. Christopher Bielecki said that their office is open to mutual beneficial relationship with Nigeria, noting they were ready to provide platform for Nigerian farmers to export their produce to the US.

Bielecki urged farmers and other business owners to take advantage of their open door policy by approaching their office for discussion on Logistic support that will encourage innovations to grow their businesses.

He however, urged young entrepreneurs to also bring some values to the table during discussion and not just at the receiving end, stressing that they were well positioned in promoting Trade and Small Medium Enterprises, SMEs in the country.

On his part, Peter Keulers, the Deputy Consul-General of Netherlands, narrated how a country of about 16 million people with 40,000 landmass became the second largest exporter of Agricultural produce in the world behind US.

According to Keulers, the Netherlands Government gives strong financial and technical support to the sector.

“Innovation is the secret behind the Dutch success story in the sector through cutting edge technology like the use of Drones, Robbots and Artificial intelligence abundantly deployed in the county,” he stated.

Keulers noted that Nigeria plays a major role in the Agric space in the world while expressing the benefit they enjoyed in export having Germany as their neighbour.

Genuine partnership according to him “is the key to deepening the Agric sector and ensure food security that benefits both countries.”

Also speaking, Sejiro Oke-Tojinu who is the Managing Director, MD Sejifarms, explained how he started the journey into farming as a 200 level student in Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, and took him to the US because he had a vision.

Oke-Tojinu, said there was the need to fill a vacuum with the existing knowledge and urged the Agric Eco entrepreneurs not to be in a hurry to be a boss but work in collaboration and not in isolation.

He warned them against the attitude of hiding information but shared such with colleagues to grow together.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, has said that the Agrinnovation Club was the creation of an eco-system where young farmers and entrepreneurs network and collaborate with each other by adding value to the Agriculture sector.

Olusanya expressed hope that the Agrinnovation Club will become bigger and outlived the tenure of the current administration.

According to her, “The Club is to showcase what the Lagos State Government is doing to the world by expanding businesses beyond the shores of the country.”

Olusanya noted that the mandate of the ministry was to ensure overall social well being of the people through sustainable growth to impact on accessibility and affordability of food to the residents of the state.

The commissioner however, said that government alone cannot provide for all the needs of the people except for genuine networking among those in the eco system to make it more effective.

She explained that their intention was to revolutionise how people see Agriculture in the country driven by innovation and Technology.

Olusanya believed that demonstrating to people that there are endless opportunities to money in the country despite the economic challenges would change the narrative on Japa.

She announced that phase one of the food Logistic Hub in Epe will be commissioned in June this year describing it as a destination for certifying the quality of foods that comes into Lagos.

According to her, government agencies including NAFDAC and SON will have offices at the Food Hub to streamline their quality.

Young farmers share experiences

The leader of the Fish farmers Association in the state,1 noted that he was glad to have trained a lot of Students in the business pf fish farming.

For the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Swan Cape Farms, Dr. Agnes Fasheun who set up first farm in 2015 in Epe maintained that the Agric Eco system can change the narrative in the country for good.

She disclosed that her experience in the United Kingdom where she went to purchase vegetables but found such from Kenya and Ethiopia prompted her journey into vegetable farming after 22 years in the Banking industry.

According to Fasheun, her farm now supplies major Supermarkets in Lagos adding her focus is on responsive production and quality control measures with resilience.

The formal induction of the Agrinnovation Club and Award of Certificates to members climaxed the event.

Vanguard News