AMBODE ORDERS CONTINOUS SALES OF LAKE RICE, APPROVES MORE SALES POINTS

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has directed the State Ministry of Agriculture to commence and ensure a non-stop sales of Lake Rice in all the designated sales centre across the State just has he approved the creation of more sales centres, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Oluwatyin Suarau has said.

Suarau who stated this over the weekend in his office while reviewing the plans of carrying out the Governor’s directives noted that the directive is part of the strategy to increase access to the product and ensure effective distribution of the rice across the State.

He said that the newly created sales centres aside the existing designated centers in the 57 local government and local council development areas in the state that will be used for the non-stop sales of the products are, Farm Service Centre Odogunyan-Ikorodu; Farmers Mart Surulere; Agric Input Supply Authority (LAISA) Ojo; Agricultural Development Authority (ADA) Oko Oba, Agege and Lagos Television (LTV) Complex, Agidingbi-Ikeja.

While assuring that the State government will do the needful to ensure the continuous availability of the product in both existing and new sales centres, Suarau noted that work is in progress to ensure adequate supply of the product across the State.

Said he, “the need to ensure that Lake Rice circulate into the nooks and crannies of the state is key in our drive to attain food sufficiency. Food production and self-sufficiency have been given priority attention at State’s policy and strategic levels, this is aimed at sustaining Lagos because our state is the largest consumer of food commodity in Nigeria”.
The Commissioner while noting that the price of the rice has not changed stressed that State government will continue to maintain the price of the product to make it affordable to citizens. He added that the essence of the Lagos-Kebbi partnership is to ensure food security and show case the ability of Nigeria to become a producing nation.

“Logistics have been put in place to ensure a hassle free purchase of the product in an atmosphere devoid of rancour in all our approved sales centres thus making the processes of purchase a lot more easier for everyone”, Suarau said