Lagos State government has promised to sustain the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement & Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project in the state for its continuous development despite the completion of the partnership with the World Bank.
The State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, gave this assurance during a courtesy visit to him by the delegations of the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and National Coordination Unit of APPEALS Project, even as he noted that the APPEALS Project had been very successful in the state.
According to Hamzat, over 10,000 people have benefited across different levels, including farming, fishing, food processing, amongst others, saying that all these had led to the realignment of markets, while other values had benefited as well.
The deputy governor assured that notwithstanding that the project was coming to an end, the state government would sustain it “to make sure that beneficiaries don’t face off and how to push in new beneficiaries into it.
“The APPEALS Project has been very successful in the state, over 10,000 people have benefited across different levels; farming, fishing, food processing and amongst others, and all these have led to the realignment of markets and other values have been benefited in the state.
“Though the project is coming to an end, the state government will sustain it, we are here to discuss the exit plan and hence the state will now find a way to keep it up, sustain the legacy, to make sure that beneficiaries don’t face off and how to push-in new beneficiaries into it,” he said.
Hamzat, while noting that the APPEALS project was carried out in six different states, namely; Lagos, Enugu, Cross River, Kano, Kaduna and Kogi states, and was very successful and beneficial to the state, said the collaboration had improved the processing capability and agriculture credentials of the Lagos State and the country.
According to him, the turnage per production for rice has increased from 1.5 to 2.5 tons, so also for the local rice, called Ofada, and likewise, the increased turnage gets per hectare of land.
