The Lagos State Government has announced plans to launch a ₦500 billion Produce-for-Lagos Offtaker Guarantee Fund and Programme on July 23rd to feed its growing population and boost national food security.

According to Ms. Abisola Olusanya, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, the initiative is designed to increase agricultural productivity, reduce Nigeria’s food imports by over 60 per cent, cut post-harvest losses by 40 per cent, and create over four million jobs across the country.

Lagos’s current population of over 20 million is projected to hit 24 million by 2030, Olusanya noted. This will drive annual food demand to a staggering ₦7.96 trillion.

“To achieve 40 per cent local production, the state needs to grow its production by about 20 per cent per annum,” she stated in May during a briefing.

Without urgent and coordinated efforts, the state could be forced to import food worth ₦3.38 trillion annually by 2030 to meet demand, a situation the new programme seeks to prevent.

The Produce-for-Lagos initiative focuses on scaling food production within Lagos and across the country by guaranteeing off-take (purchase) from other states supplying the city.

Olusanya explained that the programme will support farming, storage, logistics, marketing, and food distribution, key areas where smallholder farmers and agribusinesses often struggle.

“Join us as we kickstart a bold vision to catalyse, empower, and scale food production, storage, logistics, marketing and distribution across the nation, creating jobs, boosting local economies, and securing our future food supply,” she wrote on X.

By providing guaranteed markets and support infrastructure, the fund encourages investment across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, from farmers to processors, aggregators, logistics providers, and financiers.

“We are calling on stakeholders across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, from farmers to financiers, to come together and drive a food sovereign system,” she added.

Beyond job creation, the programme is expected to cut food prices and reduce inflation by an estimated 25 per cent annually, easing the economic pressure on households.

It also tackles one of Nigeria’s major agricultural challenges: post-harvest losses. 

Many harvested crops go to waste due to poor storage, inefficient logistics, and a lack of buyers. The fund’s design targets this by creating structured markets and logistics networks.

Experts say Lagos’s food needs offer a clear opportunity for national agricultural collaboration.

With structured support and off-taker assurance, farmers from states like Oyo, Ogun, Niger, Benue, and Nasarawa, all major food producers, could find a profitable and secure buyer in Lagos, while reducing the strain on the city’s food system.

The fund’s launch on July 23 will draw stakeholders from Nigeria’s agricultural, financial, and logistics sectors.

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