The Lagos State Government has flagged off the second phase of its Ounje Eko Farmers’ Subsidy Programme (FSP), an initiative designed to reduce food prices and support farmers as the festive season approaches.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, revealed this during a press briefing held in Lagos on Wednesday.
According to Olusanya, the launch of Phase II of the Ounje Eko Farmers Discount Programme is part of the state’s proactive measures to ease food costs and boost agricultural productivity during the Yuletide period.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce the commencement of Phase II of the Ounje Eko Farmers’ Subsidy Programme, a major intervention under the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration aimed at strengthening food production, empowering farmers, and stabilising food prices across the state,” she said.
She explained that the programme was introduced to tackle the rising cost of agricultural inputs, particularly poultry and fish feeds, which make up over 70 per cent of production expenses. The burden of these costs, she noted, had threatened food security and the livelihoods of many farmers.
To mitigate this, the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, launched the first phase earlier in the year, benefiting over 5,000 farmers. The initial phase recorded the supply of 993.3 metric tonnes of poultry feed and 265.65 metric tonnes of fish feed, sustaining the production of 258,000-layer birds, 177,100 catfish, and over seven million eggs.
The commissioner said these efforts led to a drop in egg prices from ₦6,000 per crate to between ₦5,000 and ₦5,400.
Building on this success, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the implementation of Phase II, which will further expand the reach of the subsidy and include multiple value chains.
The new phase features a 25 per cent discount on poultry feeds (layer mash, broiler starter, and finisher), a 25 per cent discount on various fish feed sizes (2mm–6mm), and free grain distribution to pig farmers to improve livestock nutrition.
Additionally, the intervention includes the distribution of farm machinery and tools—such as power tillers, planters, corn threshers, motorised sprayers, solar spraying machines, mini tractors, and generators—to reduce manual labour and enhance mechanisation across farming clusters.
Other support materials include fish smoking kilns, herbicides, fertilizers, cassava graters, fryers, pressers, scales, protective gear, and weeding equipment. The government will also subsidise mechanisation services and promote large-scale cultivation to increase output.
Olusanya added that government extension agents would continue to provide technical support to farmers to ensure improved productivity and resilience.
The programme is scheduled to run across 10 designated locations in November 2025, including Farm Service Centre (Agege), Agricultural Training Institute (Epe), Coconut House (Badagry), Fish Farm Estate (Ikorodu), and other key agricultural hubs in the state.
Participation will be limited to registered members of recognised farmer associations such as the Poultry Association of Nigeria (Lagos Chapter), Lagos State Catfish Allied Farmers Association, and other estate and settlement cooperatives to promote transparency.
According to Olusanya, this initiative is supported by reputable financial institutions and feed millers to ensure efficiency and accountability in implementation.
She further revealed that the ministry would host the Lagos Agrinnovation Summit 2.0 on Thursday at Harbour Point, Victoria Island. The event will feature innovators, investors, and agripreneurs driving transformation across the agricultural value chain and will also showcase winners of Lagos Agrithon 2025, a competition highlighting creative agritech solutions.
Olusanya concluded by reaffirming that the Ounje Eko Farmers’ Subsidy Programme Phase II reflects the Sanwo-Olu administration’s unwavering commitment to building a resilient and food-secure Lagos through inclusive, technology-driven, and farmer-centered policies.