The Lagos State Government has called on farmers to adopt agricultural insurance as a key safeguard against unforeseen risks, emphasising its importance in ensuring the long-term sustainability and resilience of the agricultural sector.
Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ms Abisola Olusanya, appealed to a two-day training programme for selected farmers under the National Programme for Food Security (NPFS), held in Lagos.
Olusanya, who was represented by the Director of Agribusiness at the ministry, Mrs Aramide Ganzallo, said the theme of the event — “Strengthening Farming Communities Through Financial Management, Loan Repayment, and Agricultural Insurance: Transitioning from Simple to Mechanised Farming” — aptly reflects the need for farmers to scale up their operations, boost productivity, and protect their livelihoods through agricultural insurance.
“Agricultural insurance exists for the benefit of farmers. Over time, many have suffered losses, with the government stepping in to pay compensation. If farmers take up agricultural insurance, the insurance company would bear the losses. We insure our cars not because we expect accidents but because it’s the responsible thing to do. The same applies to our farms,” she explained.
She added that while insurance is currently optional, it may eventually become a requirement for farmers to access government support.
“We are encouraging and advising farmers to get insured. We’re not praying for disasters, but it’s safer to be insured than not to be,” she said.
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Olusanya commended the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority (LSADA) for organising the programme and urged farmers to participate in the ongoing online registration under the Produce for Lagos Initiative and other state data collection platforms to help update the government’s database of farmers.
In her welcome address, the Coordinating Director of LSADA, Mrs Aderonke Toju-Tubi, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening the agricultural value chain and empowering farmers across the state.
She said the training was designed to enhance farmers’ capacity in financial management, credit repayment, and sustainable farming practices through mechanisation.
“Educating farmers on financial discipline, the importance of timely loan repayment, and the benefits of agricultural insurance will ensure the sustainability of credit schemes and strengthen trust between farmers and financial institutions,” she noted.
“This initiative reflects our collective resolve to equip farmers with the knowledge and tools required to succeed in today’s evolving agricultural landscape.”
Also speaking, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and NPFS facilitator, Mrs Oluwatosin Ganzallo, highlighted that access to credit remains a major challenge for many farmers.
“The state government deposits certain funds with clusters of farmers in different enterprises. The farmers use these funds, return them to the apex body, and the cycle continues to benefit others,” she explained.
Ganzallo noted that about 370 farmers participated in the latest training, while over 5,000 have benefited from the programme in previous years.