10,000 cows slaughtered daily in Lagos – Agric commissioner

Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, on Tuesday, said not less than 10,000 cattle are slaughtered daily across the state.

Olusanya disclosed this during a ministerial press briefing to mark the first year of the second term in office of the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in office, at Alausa Ikeja.

She said the agriculture sector is contributing N7 trillion to the state’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP), saying the Lagos food market size stands at N9 billion in daily transaction value and N5 trillion annually.

She also hinted that the state government is also working in collaboration with other states in ensuring that 200,000 tonnes of paddy required at Imota Rice Mill are met.

Olusanya stated, “In Nigeria, agriculture contributes 25 percent to the GDP. But in Lagos, Agriculture encompasses a lot up to food production, so agriculture contributes N7 Trillion in the last couple of years to the Lagos economy.

“This is to tell you that we have the potential, there is opportunity. We will not relent in terms of making it better,” she added.

She went further on production of red meat in the State, saying not less than 10,000 heads of cattle are slaughtered daily in the state.

“Lagos slaughters not less than 10,000 heads of cattle daily, these include what is slaughtered in our barracks,” she said.

On production of rice, Olusanya maintained that, “Lagos State is the largest consumer of rice in the country with an estimated consumption of about 2 Million metric tonnes per annum.

“The Lagos Rice Mill is 2 lines of 16MPH integrated mill sited on 8.5 hectares of land at Imota. The rice mill has a capacity to produce 2.4 million bags of 50 kg bags of Rice yearly using 200,000 Metric tonnes of paddy annually.

“The Mill is part of the government’s commitment towards ensuring food security in the State which is a key component of the T.H.E.M.E.S + Development Agenda of Mr. Governor to make Lagos State a 21st Century economy.”