Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Wednesday charged financial institutions to fund and give preference to agriculture like the oil sector, to boost food production.

Mr Sanwo-Olu made the call at a programme organised by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Netherlands in conjunction with the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture.

Speaking on the theme “Urban Farming:  Feeding the Cities”, Mr Sanwo-Olu noted that the urban farming initiative would ensure the availability of good quality planting materials and agricultural equipment for the farmers in the state.

Represented by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, he said that the government was collaborating with the Netherlands’ Ministry of Agriculture on urban farming to ensure food security and a boost in agricultural production in the state.

He highlighted that the increasing influx of unplanned migrant population has continued to create a large demand for food generally.

Similarly, Michel Deleen, the Netherlands Consul-General, who was represented by his deputy, Arie Plieger, noted that the country was ready to help Lagos and Nigeria to attain food security and sustainability through urban farming and technology.

“It is a crucial time to talk about food and how to improve food production not only in the interest of Lagos, Nigeria and the Netherlands but this is beyond borders and continent.

“We as a global community have so many mouths to feed, growing population around the globe. We want to strengthen food security, food safety for everyone,” he said.

(NAN)