Lagos government plans N10b aqua centre to boost fish production

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said that an N10 billion Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (LACE) project aimed at boosting fish production would be established by the state government through a public-private partnership arrangement.

He said the project, to be located on a 35-hectare of land in Igbonla, Epe, is one of the two food production centres to be known as Lagos Food Production Centres to ensure sustained food production and supply in the state. Sanwo-Olu said the second centre would be in Badagry.

The governor, who disclosed this at the symbolic distribution of agricultural inputs and productive assets to 2,743 farmers under the 2020 agricultural value chains empowerment programme, said that the two centres would ensure resuscitation, expansion and stocking of agricultural production facilities in various value chains.

Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, noted that the two centres would also develop agro-tourism centres in Lagos State Songhai project in Badagry and the Agricultural Training Institute, Araga, Epe.

According to him, the project was designed to boost the growth and development of aquaculture industry through the direct production of 2,000 tonnes of fish yearly, provision of inputs to fish farmers under the Lagos Nucleus Farms (LANS) scheme and serve as off-taker for fish farm clusters in the state.

Sanwo-Olu, who stated that agriculture sector remains a key component through which the state government intends to realise the “Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy” pillar of the T.H.EME.S agenda, said that the yearly agricultural value chain empowerment programme was one of the strategies designed to boost food production and supply through the provision of agricultural inputs and productive assets to farmers and other players in the value chain.

According to him, some of the policies, programmes and projects are designed to improve the capacity of agricultural value chain actors and revolutionise agricultural productivity with the introduction of modern technology and best practices.

The state’s Acting Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, said that agriculture would improve the nutritional status of the people.