Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet
The
Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) Lagos State, has disclosed contributing about
12.75 per cent to the State Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012,
through its intervention fund to the commercial farmers.
The
State CADP
coordinator, Mr Kehinde Ogunyinka confirmed this to NaijaAgroNet while speaking at the
forum with the theme:”Media and the challenges of food security in Nigeria”
organised for stakeholders in the industry, Wednesday, to showcase the results
and impacts of CADP on small-medium commercial farmers in the State.
Ogunyinka
also said that the project had supported 1,483 farmers under the aquaculture
value chain with various inputs including collapsible fish tank, extruding
technology; fish seed; solar submersible pumping machine smoking kiln; pen and
cage culture system and tricycle and so on.
He listed
other beneficences to include 1,284 farmers under the rice value chain, with
300 farmers in the estate with input in poultry from point of lay and cage, day
old chicks’ hatchery and incubator, deflowering machine, blast freezer and cold
room.
“The promotion of the use of fitted battery cage
for poultry birds by the project beneficiaries has resulted in the reduction of
mortality and disease transmission by over 15 per cent, increase in egg
production 20 per cent, feed wastage by over 40 per cent,” he said.
NaijaAgroNet
equally gathered that CADP has intervened in the area of infrastructure,
constructing a total of 22.19Km rural roads in 10 locations which has impacted
the travel time to the nearest market within the communities to reduce from 22
minutes before the intervention to 18.77 minutes.
The project coordinator also said it has intervened
in the area of energy support to compliment Agro processing activities,
supported 3,508 beneficences and indirectly influenced over 80,000 beneficences, created over 6,000
jobs and indirectly created over 12,000 jobs.
He
explained that CADP has now opened a market information Kiosks (MIKs) known as
CADP/CADA MIK at Agege Main Market, Ayetoro Market and Ayeangburen Market in
Lagos to offer services to people looking for current and easy access to
information on products and prices.
“I urge
the farmers to ensure that they contribute their quota to the state as the
state government is prepared to increase
the quality of food for the over 21 million. It is a herculean task because
lands are used for housing, but the farmers should make proper use of the available
land,’ he said.
Also speaking with NaijaAgroNet, a farmer and Media
Consultant BridgeWorld Communications, Mr Gboyega Akosile said that the farmers
are the real heros of the nation, while
food insecurity is a global crisis and urged the media to “access and
disseminate information while acting as a link between the farmers, government,
policy makers and donor agencies.”
Akosile
said that the media should canvass that the National Assembly legislate that
the Federal Government should implement the 10 per cent Africa Union Maputo
Declaration that will assist farmers to develop the agricultural sector in the
country.
NaijaAgroNet visit to the exhibition
stands of the beneficiaries and their products, including Chileo Farms-Packaged
Red Ofada rice, Obest Rice, Pedro Farm Limited-Packaged frozen chicken, Timmod
Investment Limited- packaged Dry fish, Mts Ofada rice and Jiyo Super Eggs.
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