Lagos: The Lagos State Government has disclosed plans to launch a N500 million Ounje Eko Farmers’ Subsidy Programme to empower farmers with a 25 percent subsidy on animal feeds (poultry and fish) to boost local agricultural production in the state. The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, announced this initiative at a news conference in Lagos.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Ounje Eko Discount Market was introduced to cushion the effect of food inflation for Lagos residents. The Ounje Eko Farmers’ Subsidy Programme was established to address the challenges faced by local farmers. Olusanya stated that through this subsidy programme, the state aims to provide direct financial relief to farmers via a 25 percent subsidy on poultry and fish feeds.
Olusanya highlighted the significant pressure faced by livestock and aquaculture farming due to the rising cost of production inputs, noting that poultry and fish feed account for over 70 percent of production costs. This has resulted in reduced farm operations and, in some cases, closures, affecting farmers and contributing to food inflation and reduced access to essential protein sources such as eggs, chicken, and fish.
The commissioner emphasized that the initiative is a transformative government action to ease the production cost for farmers through the subsidisation of feed inputs. The subsidy programme is set to commence on February 5, 2025, and will disburse feeds at a discounted price every Wednesday as a pilot run.
The programme will operate every Wednesday from February 5 to February 26, 2025. Farmers will pay only 75 percent of the feed cost, with the government subsidizing the remaining 25 percent. Pre-ordering and payment processes will be managed through farmer associations to ensure transparency, and vendors will deliver pre-ordered products to designated market locations for verification and distribution.
Olusanya noted that only registered members of farm clusters and associations would benefit from the programme. The ministry plans to partner with reputable feed millers for feed sourcing and farmers’ associations for distribution to ensure the programme’s success.
The designated market locations for feed distribution include Erikorodo Poultry Estate in Ikorodu, Agricultural Training Institute in Araga, Epe, Aiyedoto Poultry Estate in Ojo, Coconut House in Mowo, Badagry, Farm Service Center in Oko-Oba, Ikeja, and the Fish Farm Estate in Odongunyan, Ikorodu.