• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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How APPEALS initiative will drive value-addition in aquaculture, poultry, rice

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The Lagos State Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS), a World Bank-assisted initiative focused on enhancing the productivity of smallholder farmers, is positioned to drive value addition in aquaculture, poultry and rice production in the state.

Oluranti Oviebo, state project coordinator, APPEALS Lagos, made this known at a stakeholders interactive and advocacy session in Lagos recently.

Oviebo stated that the objective of the six-year project was to increase processing and output of aquaculture, poultry and rice production in Lagos State while improving farmers’ livelihood as well as providing them with technological support to enhance productivity.

She noted that APPEALS initiative has partnered with some research institutes to provide new technologies in the areas the state has comparative advantage for farmers who are beneficiaries of the project.

“The APPEALS project will help improve productivity and value addition in rice, poultry and aquaculture in Lagos state. It will also help farmers and processors access markets to make the initiative sustainable,” Oviebo said.

“A financial support in form of grants is provided to farmers after undergoing training and providing a good business proposal,” she said.

She stated that 35 percent of the beneficiaries are women, saying that the initiative is mainly targeted at youths and women.

Also speaking during the interactive session, Toyin Suarau, Lagos State commissioner for Agriculture, said that the APPEALS initiative is a project of inclusion which has employed 252,000 people directly and indirectly.

“It is apt that we embrace the APPEALS project because food security is key as agriculture plays an important part in economic growth and development,” said Suarau, who was represented by Olayiwole Onasanya, permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture.

“Today, when we talk about agriculture we are talking about value chain development,” he further said.

The commissioner stated that the state is targeting to double its current poultry production from 15 percent to 30 percent of its required needs under the initiative.

For aquaculture, Suarau said that the state’s target was to increase production from its current 180,000 metric tons to 220,000MT under the initiative.

For rice he said “our target is to increase production to 1500 hectares in the state.”

Amin Babandi, national project coordinator, APPEALS, represented by Salisu Garba, project operations officer, said “we are so impressed and happy with the interaction from the farmers, stakeholders and technical set of people that are involved in agriculture.”

“The project is currently piloted in five states which are Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Cross River and Enugu, and that the Federal Government is working on adding more states,” he added.

He called on the state to maintain and improve on its standards set in terms of agricultural development.

 

Josephine Okojie