The Lagos State Ministry of agriculture is optimistic that it will realise its targeted three billion naira revenue generation this year. The Ministry had generated over one billion naira in 2022.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya who made this known in Surulere Local Government during the distribution of inputs to farmers in the Council area and environs as part of the year 2022 Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Support Programme, explained that the targeted revenue is premised on job creation and improved productivity from stakeholders in the sector.
“Towards revenue generation, we have another pool of stakeholders this is where you have agric assets whether being concession or private sector partners doing build operate and transfer or just build operate and you have a revenue-sharing formula with the Lagos State government and then there are so many other ways also that the Ministry is creating and generating revenues, generally during election period, you see a decline in revenue generation, but now with everything over, and after inauguration, I want to believe that they’ll be more stability within the system and the second half of 2023 we should see an increase in revenue generation across board with the massive infrastructure development Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is doing not just in agriculture alone, in Works, Housing, Technology, Education, Health and so on and so forth, it is hoped that the revenue generation capability of the state will continue to expand and we’ll continue to do that still supporting the people as well so that it is a win-win situation” She said.
The Commissioner emphasised that the enterprise empowerment activation was aimed at supporting beneficiaries so that they can become more prosperous and thereby help the State to achieve food security, food sustainability which will in turn lead to increased revenue.
“They pay their taxes, the hope is the entire Lagos State revenue pool would increase, what is at the forefront of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration is wealth creation for the people, job creation, creating an enabling environment that ensure that our food systems are more secure” Ms Olusanya said.
She said farmers and stakeholders in other Local government areas of the State irrespective of ethnicity, religion and political affiliations should also be looking forward to benefitting from the programme in the next few days and assured stakeholders that this year’s edition of the empowerment programme would also be held later this year as the current administration is wholly committed to boosting their capacity.
The Chairman of Surulere Local Government Area, Sulaiman Yusuf who was represented by the Vice Chairman, Prince Muiz Dosunmu, thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu for fulfilling his promise to lift people out of poverty, while also ensuring that Lagosians have enough food.
While the association of live birds marketers got a truck for transporting poultry, individual members from the local Governments and Council Development Areas got defeathering machines, fish sellers were given smoking kilns and those dealing in vegetables got fertilizers, wheel barrows, sprayers, Power Saw and Plank Marketers received round and circular saws as well as generators and those in various other value chain enterprises went home with allied inputs.
In addition to the free distribution of inputs to stakeholders in the farming and agric value chains, some widows in the local government areas were also empowered with grinding machines and deep freezers.