“Lagosians consume one million metric tons of rice yearly”

Lagos consumes one million metric tons of rice per annum, the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olajide Basorun has said.

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He said this during the opening ceremony of the 2015 Lagos Rice Fair, organized by Growth and Employment in the States (GEMS) at the open ground of the Lagos Television in Agidingbi Ikeja.

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According to him, statistics on rice consumption shows that Nigeria imports about 2 million metric tons of Rice per annum, with Lagos State consuming at least 1 million metric tons thus representing 50% of rice importation.

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He said “As you are aware, Lagos State has the highest population of 21 million people and a population density of 5000 people per square kilometer which make the demand for food and other agricultural product enormous. Most of the food requirements of the populace are met through food produced outside the State, the goal therefore is to make Lagos State not only food secured, but also to scale up our food self – sufficiency from the present 10% to about 25% by 2018.”

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Basorun, explained that the State government as part of its quest to achieve food self-sufficiency, developed a road map for food security adding that the development of the Rice value chain will play a prominent role in the road map since Lagos State is currently the highest consumer of agricultural products in the country.

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As part of efforts at developing the rice value chain in Lagos, the government has made available additional 1,000 hectares of land for rice cultivation in the State over the last 4 years.

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Basorun noted that an integrated Rice mill was constructed and commissioned in Imota, Ikorodu in 2012 for processing of rice cultivated in the State and its environ stressing that Rice from the mill with the brand “Eko Rice” is already being sold to Lagosians.
According to the Permanent Secretary the, opportunities for private sector investment in rice production in Lagos State are enormous and government on its part is pursuing other measures to bridge the gap.

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"For example, the strategic irrigation scheme in Itoga, Badagry keeps the land wet all through the year for the purpose of producing rice and it has increased rice production from one circle per year to two cycles", Basorun said.

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He maintained that the state Government has continued to make significant investment in the Rice value Chain to reduce the enormous sum spent on Rice importation adding that in the last six years, there has been a geometrical progression in the investment Government has made in the sector.

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"Indeed, the sector enjoyed a pride of place in the last two Economic Summits of the State both of which have focused primarily on the four sectors of Power, Agriculture, Transportation and Housing (PATH). With so many programmes and projects implemented by the Government in the Agricultural Sector, Lagos State undoubtedly is poised to become self-sufficient in food production in the course of time", Basorun said.

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The Permanent Secretary averred that,the State in its bid to overcome the challenge of inadequate agriculculral land space, acquired land from Ogun, Osun and Oyo State Government, specifically for the production of Rice adding that over450 youths have also been trained in rice production and processing.
Basorun called for potential investors in the rice value chain to support in the determination of the State Government to meet the agricultural challenges of the state and indeed Nigeria, saying that "A country that cannot feed itself is in absolute terms insecure".