A World Bank-assisted project, Lagos State Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement, and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS Project), says it empowered, trained and supported 17,467 farmers in the last five years to boost food sufficiency.
Mrs Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, State Project Coordinator, APPEAL Project, who disclosed this yesterday said the project duration, which started March 2017 would end March, 2023, with total project fund put at $200 million.
According to her, the project had surpassed its targeted figure of 10,000 beneficiaries at the inception of the project in 2017, empowering 3,950 formers, with improved agricultural technology and physical inputs.
Sagoe-Oviebo also mentioned that 1786 women, physically challenged persons and youths were empowered within the period. She commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for supporting the project and including more women and people living with disabilities.
The project is also executed in Cross River, Enugu, Kaduna, kano and Kogi, and estimated to create 10,000 direct beneficiaries per state, with 35 per cent direct beneficiaries being women. It also targets 50,000 farm household per state.. Sagoe-Oviebo said the farmers were supported in three value chains, poultry, aquaculture and rice.
“Of the number, 7,533 were trained, 3,950 were supported with farm inputs and equipment while 1,786 women and youths also benefited with some of them receiving startup grant. The APPEALS project had created 12,350 jobs across all its activities and also reduced the likelihood of being poor by between five and 10 per cent,” she explained. “The productivity of rice paddy in the state has increased from 2.0 metric ton per hectare to 3.5 metric tons. Tilapia has increased from 100 kg to 140 kg, while broiler increased from 1.8kg a bird per cycle to 2.35 kg bird.”
The project had desilted drainage channels aquacultire around Erunwen, Adamo, Igbe, Ijede, Omitoro, Parafa in Ikorodun and Ebute-Afuye, Epe, etc.
“There has been a significant increase in the three value chains of the project in the state which are aquaculture, poultry and rice with improved technologies,” she added. “The APPEALS Projects in Lagos statistic indicate that poverty has been reduced by between five and 10 per cent.”.
Sagoe-Oviebo noted that the rice value chain had achieved a lot with the new Ofada strain with multiple yields for the farmers.
She noted that the Ofada rice can now be compared to the basmati rice because of its long strain, single colour and taste.
The Lagos APPEAL coordinator added that products in rice and aquaculture value chains met international market standard and presently enjoying export opportunities as farmers farmers were supported with colour sorting machines to make the Ofada rice presentable and marketable.
“Our target is to make one of our product get into international market and we have been able to achieve this in the rice and aquaculture,” she stressed. “We have also supported our farmers in the poultry value chain with pelletised feeds, nipple drinkers and probiotics and it has helped them to now produce poultry product all year round instead of seasonal farming.”
In 2022, the project would complete the recently approved construction of 15 cottage industries approved in 15 different areas of the state as well as purchase transformer for farmers in Araga, Epe, according to her. “On the plans for this year, the APPEALS project will be boosting farmers capacity to produce egg powder production and also fish canning technology for tilapia. We will support some farmers with transformers, while more roads will be constructed for farm estates as well as jetty interventions at Afowo cage culture, Epe,” said Sagoe-Oviebo.
“We have a lot going on this year and a number of business plans will be approved for farmers,” she added.
The state project coordinator urged the farmers to own the project as it enters the final implementing year.
She also assured that by the end of the project duration, Sanwo-Olu will continue to support the scheme.
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