The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on stakeholders in the agriculture sector to embrace technology and information technology to modernise practices and ensure growth.
Industry leaders and policymakers stressed the need to transform farming into a viable, attractive, and profitable venture at the LCCI Agric Symposium 2025, held on Wednesday in Lagos.
Chairman of the LCCI Agricultural and Allied Group, Tunde Banjoko, noted that agriculture in Nigeria must be repositioned in line with global best practices.
He said, “Like President Bola Tinubu said a few weeks ago, agriculture should be sexy, meaning it should be a profession that you are proud of. We also realise that in other climes, there’s a way agribusiness is being done. We preach that by embracing technology and IT (in Nigerian agriculture), we can farm without looking dirty or being looked down on.”
Banjoko noted that challenges such as poor access to funding, lack of mechanisation, and inadequate seedlings continued to affect farmers.
He stressed that showcasing successful farmers and young people already using drones and tractors would help attract a new generation into the sector.
“We want to show the youth how farming can be modern, profitable and fulfilling. That is how we can get them to take over from the older generation,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Emmanuel Audu, who represented the Commissioner, Abisola Olusanya, highlighted the state’s ongoing reforms in food systems.
Audu said, “We are implementing the Lagos State Food Systems Transformation Agenda to transition from traditional food markets to modern agro-produce hubs. The Lagos Food Security Systems and Register Hub at Ketu will reduce post-harvest losses and regulate food prices year-round.”
He explained that the initiative was designed to cut post-harvest losses by at least 25 per cent within three years, down from the current 50 per cent in the agricultural value chain, which often fuels high food prices.
On farmers’ challenges, Audu said the government had launched the Produce for Lagos Programme, backed by about N500bn, to guarantee farmers an assured market and unlock financing.
He explained, “If a farmer plants 10 tonnes of tomatoes, the state government is ready to take it, backed by a fund to pay immediately. That way, banks will finance farmers with confidence.”
Similarly, a Vice President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Abimbola Olashore, stressed the importance of changing the perception of agriculture from a poverty-driven activity to a viable business.
“Agribusiness is the biggest contributor to Nigeria’s GDP and the largest employer of labour, but many still associate it with poverty. Agriculture is big business. People are quietly becoming billionaires from cocoa and palm oil, yet it is ignored. We must adopt technology, scale up, reduce losses, and embrace value addition to increase yields and competitiveness,” said Olashore, maintaining that agriculture in Nigeria required scale, modern technology, and improved access to credit to thrive.
The symposium, organised annually by the LCCI, focused on repositioning agriculture as a modern, profitable sector by addressing value chains, reducing losses, and promoting logistics and export competitiveness.
