The Lagos State Acting Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya has urged secondary school students to embrace agriculture during their adulthood.
Olusanya spoke at World Food Day School Quiz Competition organized by the ministry on Tuesday as part of activities to mark 2020 World Food Day celebration in the state.
The commissioner said that the call became imperative to solve the problem of unemployment, fill vacuum created by ageing farmers, and mitigate the possible effects of global food crisis.
Olusanya noted that the agricultural quiz competition aimed to further stimulate the interest of students in agriculture as a subject.
“This will as well mitigate the possible effects of global food crisis,” she said.
Olusanya said that the state government is committed to the attainment of sustainable food production, wealth and job creation through youth and women empowerment with significant private sector involvement.
She said that the state’s development plan in agriculture is to move the present local food production from 18 per cent to 25 per cent of the state’s food demand by year 2025.
“It is our desire to provide food security and an enabling environment for our people to have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and hygienic food towards a healthy life.
“We have to imbibe the lessons learnt from the dwindling return from oil to encourage the participation of everybody in agriculture.
“In other words, most of our basic needs can be met locally and we will be independent of others in feeding ourselves,” Olusanya said.
She said that adequate food supply and storage are important for times of emergencies especially with the experience of COVID-19 global pandemic.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ansarudeen Senior High School, Surulere, emerged winner, Ajara Senior Grammar School, Badagry came second and Abibat Mogaji Millennium Secondary School, Dopemu came third.
Miss Mary Aluko of Comprehensive Senior High School, Ketu Alapere, emerged the overall best student at the competition.
The World Food Day is celebrated worldwide every year on October 16, to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945.
The theme for this year’s World Food Day Celebration is “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”.
The grand finale will be celebrated on October 16 in the state. (NAN)
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