By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Barely 24 hours that President Goodluck Jonathan set up an agricultural transformation implementation council charged with the responsibility of creating additional 20 million metric tons of food into the nation’s domestic food supply by the year 2015, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State Tuesday, led the federal delegation to the official kick off of rice processing factory.

The factory with capacity to produce 20,000 metric tonnes of rice per annum is situated at Imota, Ikorodu Local Government Area of the state as part of effort to boost domestic food production as well as ensure food security by 2015.

Fashola, accompanied by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Buka Tijani, also commissioned Poultry Estate, Erikorodo with 10,000 birds capacity mechanized broiler house, 2,000 birds per day processing capacity plant and 1.5T per hour feed mill. 22.19 kilometre network of farm access roads in Ikorodu Fish Farm Estate and nine other locations in the state with counterpart fund from the state government and World Bank Assisted Commercial Agric Development Project, CADP.

Fashola commissioning the three projects which are all located in Ikorodu, said his administration is consciously building a sustainable economy around agriculture, and is ready to collaborate with the Federal Government, World Bank and the private sector in further raising the bar.

“We are building a sustainable economy around agriculture in Lagos, and we are determined to do more, collaborating with the Federal Government and the World Bank,” Fashola said, adding that it was high time jobless youths key into the government’s vision by engaging in sustainable and productive ventures in farm estates around Lagos.”

Specifically, he said there was no room for ‘area boys’ in Lagos, stressing “the youths must roll up their sleeves and get to work.”

“Let me use this opportunity to talk to our youths especially those who tag themselves s area boys that it is time to stop miscreancy in Lagos. The time for money without work is over.

The 20,000 metric tonnes rice processing factory built by the Lagos State Government in Ikorodu, Lagos

“Our youths must roll up their sleeves and work in the farms we are creating. They should go to the farm to support the economic development of the state and the country and we are ready to lead the way and support them “he said.

He stressed that Nigeria could achieve self sufficiency in food production and stop importation with the right investment in agriculture, urging governments at all levels to give agriculture the priority it deserved.

While stressing that the mill would significantly boost rice production, Fashola said the state planned to expand its rice production of the present 250 hectares of rice land annually to about 500 hectares.

He appealed to the the Federal Government to help the state in its quest for increased production by allocating to it farmland around Ogun River Basin.

Earlier, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina, represented by Tijani, commended the Lagos State Government for building the rice mill, saying  it would  enhance the production of rice in the country.

Tijani, disclosed that Nigeria’s need for rice which sadly is largely supported with importation, will hit five million metric tons by 2015.

He said the Federal Government would continue to collaborate with states, especially Lagos  in boosting rice production capacity and ensure total local sufficiency by 2015.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, giving an insight into the rice mill, first of its kind in southwest Nigeria,  said the mill was built with Korean technology to the highest operational standards to process 20,000 tons of paddy rice per annum, with additional 10,000 ton storage facility and 45,000 ton capacity storage for finished rice.

“We have completed the test-run of the factory and are pleased to report that the main product (well polished rice) compares with the best quality rice from any part of the world. Operating optimally, the rice mill is estimated to produce between 350,000 and 400,000 bags of rice per year, Lawal said

The Imota integrated Rice Mill was completed in January 2012 built by a team of experts from South korea.
A study conducted in August 2007, where it was found out that Lagos State population of over 20 million as at then consumes 600,000 metric tonnes of per boiled milled rice that is 12 million bags of 50 kg rice, Also of significant was that the consumption per head in Lagos was put at 34 kg per person per year, which was the highest in Nigeria.

In 2008 when the cost of imported rice jumped in the international market from $5000 to $1000 per ton, domestic price bag jumped from N7,000.00 to N16,000.00. As expected Lagosians were most affected.

All these support the fact that Lagos is a Megacity with predominately urban population and the consumer preference of staple food is rice which is in line with urbanization.It is estimated that half of all imported rice from sea port are sold in Lagos and that all rice brought in legally and illegally through the land border are consumed in Lagos.

Going by these assumptions, it can be said that current consumption in Lagos State can be as much as 1million metric tonnes per year considering our current population estimate of 20 million.

The mill processes 2.5 tons per hour paddy rice which consist of huller, de-stoner polisher, grader, colour sorter and automated bagging and weighing bridge. The following are inclusive in the package: 10 ton soaking tank, a set of per-boiler and steamer, 15- ton capacity drier and 60-ton silo attached to the factory.

The factory was built with two other structure for paddy rice storage of 10,000 tons capacity and finished rice store cum office space.

The complex has 600KVA generator, an industrial borehole and two sets of water tanks; a steel over head tank of 55,000 litres capacity and sets of ground plastic tanks with a total capacity of 45,000 litres. The mill with optimum operating capacity can process up to 20,000 tons per year and was estimated to generate at least 50,000 different employment opportunities.

Apart from the whole grain table rice, the following by products are equally money earners; Broken rice, used for rice pudding, tuwo, ground rice and rice flour. Rice ban; highly sort after for livestock feeds, oil extra and the cosmetic industry.

Rice husk; used as energy for power generation (with appropriate technology), used in the livestock industry and for briquettes or fuel stock in furnace.

In view of the land constrain confronting agricultural development in the state and the need to make maximum utilization of available land resources, the ministry has intensified the establishment of agricultural estate where beneficiaries are better placed to take advantage of their critical mass and attendant economies of scale.

The Erikorodo Poultry Estate, Ikorodu recently commissioned, is one of the five farm estates located in different parts of the state to bring about self-sufficiency in chicken production.