Lagos State Government has rolled out a 25 percent subsidy on essential food items to provide relief to residents ahead of the festive season.

The food subsidy will be available at the Lagos Fresh Food Hub in Mushin, offering staple foods like rice, beans, garri, and other essentials at reduced prices.

Abisola Olusanya, commissioner of Agriculture and Food Systems, disclosed this in a press conference on Wednesday at Alausa, Ikeja.

Olusanya also announced the launch of the second phase of the Ounje Eko Farmers Subsidy Programme to address the rising costs of key inputs by directly providing financial support for farmers.

According to her, the state will provide a 25 percent subsidy on poultry feeds for both layer mash and broiler starter and finisher, as well as on fish feeds for sizes between 2 and 6mm.

She added that Lagos will also carry out a free distribution of grains to pig farmers to support livestock nutrition and sustainability.

“In addition to the Ounje Eko Farmers’ Subsidy Programme, the Lagos State Government will also implement a 25 percent discount on essential food items such as 5kg rice, 3.2kg beans, 2.5kg Garri, 1 loaf of bread, 1kg each for pepper and others at the Lagos fresh food hub,” she said.

“This is to ensure that residents of Lagos can celebrate the holidays with affordable food,” she explained.

She noted that the festive market initiative complements the farmers’ subsidy initiative by easing households’ cost of consumption.

“These interventions align with the overarching goals of the Produce for Lagos Programme in addition to supporting the foundation of the Lagos food systems transformation agenda.”

“Together, we are transforming Lagos into a self-sufficient food system, addressing both production and distribution challenges while promoting inclusivity, innovation, and economic resilience.”

Speaking on the success of the first phase of the Ounje Eko Farmers Subsidy initiative, she said over 5,000 farmers benefited directly from the intervention.

She noted that about 1,000 tons of poultry feeds and 300 tons of fish feeds were supplied under the first phase of the initiative. “The programme sustained the production of about 260,000-layer birds, resulting in the production of over 7 million eggs and 177,100 catfish.”

She added that the drop in egg prices from an average of N6,000 to N5,000 per crate was a direct impact of the subsidy programme.

“The cost of feed across feed mills also dropped for the rest of the farming population that could not access or were not a part of the subsidy as a result of not being a part of the cooperatives or associations,” she explained.

She noted that there will be effective monitoring and off-take from farmers at competitive prices, which will be distributed across markets in the states to wholesalers.

For horticulture farmers under the subsidy programme, she said tractorisation services will be provided for crop production as well as the distribution of bags of fertilisers.

“The Ounje Eko Farmers’ Subsidy Programme Phase II and accompanying interventions once again affirm the commitment of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to building a food-secure Lagos, empowering farmers, and supporting citizens through inclusive agricultural initiatives.”

“By linking farmer support with consumer relief, and innovation with policy, Lagos State continues to lead the way in building a resilient, productive, and sustainable food system.”

She appreciated the governor for his unwavering leadership in driving the Food Systems Transformation Agenda in the State, which serves as an exemplar to all the states across the federation. (BusinessDay)