The Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support  (APPEALS) Project in Lagos State has been commended by beneficiaries for their support towards enhancing farmers’ productivity in Lagos State.

The beneficiaries, who were among over 10,000 farmers who benefited from the World Bank-assisted project, under APPEALS, said their productivity has been improved and enhanced based on the support received from the Lagos APPEALS Project, especially in aquaculture, rice and poultry value chains of the project.

The beneficiaries cut across different clusters of Aquaculture, Poultry and Rice farming from Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu, Ojo and Ibeju Lekki areas of the state.

The farmers, who spoke during the media tour of the Lagos APPEALS Project to intervention sites and the unveiling of success stories in different parts of the state, commended the state government and the World Bank on their various initiatives on food security in Lagos.

Speaking during the tour to different farms and APPEALS Project beneficiaries in Badagry, Ojo and Alimosho, the President of Lagos State Catfish Allied Farmers Association (LASCAFAN), Mr. Sejiro Oketojinu commended the project’s team for providing an enabling environment and seedlings for them to grow from private consumption of their goods to production for export purposes.

The Lagos State Chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Mr. Raphael Hunsa, expressed gratitude to Lagos State APPEALS Project for assisting rice farmers at the Gberefu farm site with technology and other support, saying the project has boosted the productivity of farmers in the state and improved their livelihood.

Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA) Farmers at Ojo Barracks, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oloyede, praised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the project team for the assistance to the wives of the military officers in barracks, in the area of aquaculture and poultry.

“We are so happy to tell you that even when our husbands are not around, we are busy. We are on the farm and we are making money and keeping the home front. We are no longer liabilities to our husbands. We are grateful to the APPEALS Project,” she said  The State Project Coordinator, Mrs. Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, said government’s interventions and support of relevant stakeholders to farmers in various clusters had ensured sustainable business alliance, improved productivity, employment, investment opportunities, and food sustainability in the state.

Sagoe-Oviebo said the APPEALS Project will continue to partner with farmers as well as stakeholders to ensure food security, promote investments and smart technology in Lagos State.

She said through the Lagos APPEALS Project, aquaculture, poultry, and rice farmers in various clusters across communities had been supported with good access roads, farm inputs, cages, water tank treatment plants, and cottages to preserve freshness.

Sagoe-Oviebo said the state government understands and appreciates the importance of the project and its impact on ensuring food security, therefore, the state would continue to provide the necessary support for the farmers even after the project ends.