The Lagos State Government, through its Ministry of Agriculture, on Saturday started a 20 Saturdays Fresh Food Fair.
The 20 Saturdays Fresh Food Fair kicked off at the newly constructed Agro Produce Hub, Idi-Oro in the Mushin area.
The food hub was established by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration as one of the direct answers to food insecurity and sustainability plaguing the country.
The hub was busy with business activities on Saturday as farmers and consumers participated actively in the fair.
Speaking during the fair, Dapo Olakulehin, the General Manager, of Lagos State Coconut Development Authority, said the state government had created an enabling environment and good market for farmers to sell their produce through the fresh food fair.
Olakulehin, while assuring the public of quality control, said there were agriculture officers attached to all the value chains, who do the quality control of all the products on display at the fair.
He said the idea of the fair was to bring the farmers who are producing different fresh products in Lagos State to display their agricultural produce.
According to him, the fair will improve the economy of the people.
He said: As a Lagosian if you buy something costing between N2,000 to N50,000 at the fair using a MoMo account, you get a 10 percent discount.
โThat is empowerment to the citizens in general.
โIf you buy 25kg rice at N26,500, you will get a 10 percent discount if you pay with a MoMo account immediately.
โThe same thing goes for all the items.
โWe have created an enabling environment and a good market for our farmers to sell their produce through the fresh food fair.
โThe money is being circulated in Lagos; you produce in Lagos and sell in Lagos.
โThat is the idea.
โThis fair will be coming up for the next 20 Saturdays; every Saturday till the end of July.
โToday is the first day; next week Saturday, farmers will also be here.โ
Olakulehin called on farmers in Lagos State to see the fair as a golden opportunity, hence, they should participate.
He urged them to get in touch with the Ministry of Agriculture on how to participate in the fair, so they could bring out their fresh products for display and purchase by residents.
The General Manager added that the 20 Saturdays fair would help the public to know that Lagos also produces fresh agricultural produce.
โAnd because of the 10 percent discount for the consumers, the farmers are sure that people will buy the products they display,โ he said.
At the food fair, farmers and consumers commended the government for the initiative, saying that it will improve farmersโ productivity, and provide the opportunity for Lagos residents to have access to fresh farm produce.
Chinaza Asonye, who is a rice, fish, poultry, and mushroom farmer, said the hub provided an opportunity for farmers in Lagos State to showcase what they had been farming in the state.
Asonye said: โThe market will be held every Saturday from today and you can rest assured that you will get all the produce you want to buy here.
โYou will buy at an affordable price because it is from the farm gate at farmersโ price and not from a middleman.
โWhatever you are buying here, you will be sure that you are buying a profitable product.
โPeople have been patronizing us.
โThis is a beautiful venture for farmers in Lagos State.โ
Asonye said what the government had done would give the farmers a big relief that whatever one wanted to farm in Lagos State would be bought by consumers.
Also speaking, a trader from Mile 2 International Market, Mukaila Saliu, described the hub as a new market.
Saliu said: โWe came here to sell our goods.
โWe have tomatoes, various peppers, rodo, Bawa, garlic, Irish potato and carrot.
โWe brought many farm produce here.
โThis place is very good and we want more people to join us in patronizing this market.
โThis shows that we have a government that can assist us in improving our market.
โWe appreciate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.โ
A businesswoman and consumer, Judith Ebun, who bought farm produce during the food fair, expressed her satisfaction.
Ebun said: โSomeone told me to come for the fresh food fair and I decided to come in to see what is happening here.
โGetting here, I loved what I saw.
โI have bought enough onions and tomatoes.
โI also bought a bag of rice and ororo (vegetable oil).
โI love the things I bought and the prices are nice.
โThey are subsidized.
โThe government is trying.
โThis is a good initiative.โ
Also speaking, the General Secretary, of the Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria in Lagos State, Foluso Adams, expressed his satisfaction with the food hub and urged the state government to build more hubs in different parts of the state.
Adams said the fair was a good concept that other states could tap into because it would improve commerce.
He said: โFarmers are being encouraged by sales of their produce, one way or the other.
โThere is a good car park and security.
โThe environment is serene and peaceful.
โIt is what we want.
โThey should not make it only this place alone.
โLagos is very big; the government should build another food hub in Badagry, Epe, and other localities.
โThis will ensure that more farmers and consumers benefit from agricultural programs like this.โ
