The Great Brave Women Association, a subsidiary of Nigeria Women in Agriculture (NWIA), has initiated the sale of affordable farm produce across local government areas in Lagos State to alleviate the burden of rising food prices.
The initiative launched on Sunday, was met with overwhelming support, especially in Agbado-Okeodo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), where hundreds of residents took part in the event.
David Famuyiwa, the Executive Chairman of Agbado-Okeodo LCDA, commended the program during the event at the council secretariat, highlighting that it provides essential relief to the residents, particularly during such challenging economic times.
Famuyiwa pointed out that market surveys conducted by the LCDA have shown that food prices at the sale venues are considerably lower than those in regular markets across Lagos.
“We are encouraging our residents to take full advantage of the affordable prices here,” Famuyiwa said. “This initiative has been very well received, and many people have been buying and placing orders since early morning.”
He added that efforts are underway to collaborate further with the group to ensure even more residents can benefit from the scheme.
Mrs. Yetunde Olaniyan, the Secretary of Women in Agriculture, Lagos State, expressed her gratitude to the council chairman for the opportunity given to the group to display their produce to the public.
She explained that the women behind the project are all farmers offering a wide variety of products. Agbado-Okeodo LCDA served as the first council to showcase their products, which are sold at significantly reduced prices.
“This initiative is aimed at relieving the community and bridging the gap between farmers and consumers by cutting out the middlemen.
“We want to ensure that consumers have direct access to the farmers so that they can get it for more affordable prices. We are not in this for profit, but to offer much-needed relief to the people.”
The initiative is designed to keep prices of the farm products lower than what they would typically cost in the regular market, with the added benefit of farmers not incurring any losses.
Olaniyan explained that their primary goal is to serve as a direct link between farmers and consumers, facilitating the sale of fresh, quality produce at reasonable rates.
“This is just the pilot phase of this project, and we are optimistic that it will be a resounding success, with plans to expand to more communities soon,” Olaniyan added.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC) in Agbado-Okeodo LCDA, Olabowale Kasunmu, praised the initiative, emphasizing that it would make essential food items more accessible to the residents.
He mentioned that there have been ongoing sensitization efforts to ensure that more people in the community are aware of the initiative and can benefit from it.
“We are excited about this development because it will truly help meet the needs of our people,” Kasunmu said. “We are working on offering a 25 percent discount on these farm produce to further reduce the financial burden on the residents.”
Biola Raji, a beneficiary of the initiative, expressed her gratitude to the women farmers for offering fresh produce at such affordable prices.
She also thanked the council chairman for providing a platform at the secretariat where the women could showcase their products.
The event featured a wide range of food items available for purchase, including garri, yam flour, vegetable oil, palm oil, locally produced beverages, rice, beans, catfish, goat meat, and other essential household products.