Lagos State Government says it will hold an Agricultural Stakeholders’ Engagement to address challenges, opportunities and prospects in the agricultural sector with a view to developing a five-year plan for the state.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan Lawal made this known in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

He said the reason for the engagement was informed by need to sustain existing efforts of the state government in the agricultural sector.

Lawal said the meeting which would serve as an interface for all stakeholders in the agricultural sector would hold on Sept. 11 at Ikeja, saying that the programme would draw participants from multilateral organisations like the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), ECOWAS, UK-DFID, USAID, CTA, IITA and Africa Rice.

Other multilateral corporations attending the meeting were, Olam, Dizzengof, Meatco, Elephant Group as well as prominent agro-preneurs, academia, special interest groups; government agencies like the DAWN, Embassies, Commercial and Development institutions.

He said the gathering would address ways to make Lagos State a 21st Century economy that worked in line with the theme: “Developmental Agenda of the Sanwo-Olu’s government’’.

Lawal said the ideas, technology and innovations would take into consideration, the day-to-day and evolving realities of farming, agricultural production and food consumption became imperative; hence the need for the meeting.

He said the stakeholders’ engagement would also be an avenue to connect and empower the next generation of agricultural change-makers, farmers’ associations, medium and small scale players in the sector.

“As Lagos State becomes a 21st century economy, there is need to sustain existing efforts of the agricultural sector in ensuring food security and also introduce new solutions”.

“The idea, technology and innovations that will take into account the day-to-day and evolving realities of farming, agricultural production and food consumption will be discussed”.

“The introduction of these new solutions, ideas and innovations is expected to transform today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities in the agricultural sector”.

“All these have necessitated the need to look carefully into strategies to increase agricultural production in the state towards feeding the teeming population. Thus the ministry decided to organise the stakeholders’ engagement,” the commissioner said.

Lawal said the meeting was also expected to come up with ideas on how to facilitate rapid development of the agro-economy of the state, particularly in the areas where the state had comparative and competitive advantage in making it a 21st century economy. (NAN)