Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has disclosed that more than 70 per cent of food consumed in the state is produced outside Lagos, highlighting the need for stronger food systems and supply chains.
The governor made the disclosure during the commissioning of the Mid-Level Agro-Produce Hub at Pen Cinema, Agege, describing the facility as part of the state government’s broader strategy to strengthen food security and improve distribution networks.
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos, with a population exceeding 25 million residents, relies heavily on food supplies transported from other parts of the country, exposing consumers to rising transportation costs, supply disruptions, post-harvest losses and price fluctuations.
To address the challenge, he said the state had trained over 125,800 farmers and fishermen in modern agricultural practices and launched several initiatives aimed at improving food production and distribution.
Among the programmes highlighted were the Lagos Agric Scholars Programme, which promotes agricultural education in more than 440 secondary schools, and the Lagos State Butchers Academy, established to improve standards in meat processing.
The governor also revealed that the Lagos Rice Mill in Imota produced more than 250,000 bags of Eko Rice in the past year, including a fortified variety enriched with essential nutrients.
According to him, the newly commissioned hub forms part of the Lagos State Food Systems Transformation Agenda, which seeks to improve food aggregation, logistics, processing and market access across the state.
Sanwo-Olu noted that existing food hubs in Mushin and Abijo have already recorded significant success, generating billions of naira in transactions and creating thousands of jobs.
He expressed confidence that the Agege facility would strengthen food distribution, improve farmers’ incomes and reduce losses across the value chain.
