Dignitaries at the report presentation in Lagos display copies of the document just after it was received by the Lagos state government

Lagos – In a bid to ensure the sustainable development of the coconut value chain the Lagos state government has appealed to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to assist the state seek sustainable financing and strengthen relevant institutional capacities.

The call was made in Lagos at the presentation of the coconut value-chain analysis and design report, conducted under the FAO-UNIDO Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA), a global development programme which aims at helping countries to build sustainable and inclusive value chains and market systems that successfully link producers to processing, value addition and end markets.

The Lagos state Commissioner of Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, commended valuable report developed by FAO and UNIDO as it is highly informative and presents a clear strategy to upgrade the coconut value-chain.

Reiterating the importance of this, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Tokunbo Emokpae said, FAO and UNIDO should look out for external funding from international and domestic sources “to support/augment the State Governments provisions, and I hope that well-meaning international organizations will join in this developmental programme by providing either their technical expertise or financial assistance through the Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) hence ensuring the sustainable development of the value chain and food security in Lagos State”.

It would be recalled that in 2021, the state government sought FAO’s technical support to develop the Lagos coconut value chain. To begin the development process, a situation analysis was initiated. It is the result of this analysis and the proposal for the upgrading strategy for the coconut value chain's development in Lagos state that was presented to the 36 representatives from the Lagos state government and the Lagos State Coconut Development Authority (LASCODA).

In his good will message, the FAO Representative to Nigeria Fred Kafeero said, the presentation of the Coconut Value Chain Analysis report marks the beginning of a second phase of the partnership where the state commits to ensure sustainable food security, improved livelihood, economic development.

“This is in terms of revenue generation, improving the standard of living and local economy of Lagos people through employment and wealth creation opportunities as well as the overall environmental impact in mitigating against climate change.” Kafeero said.

On his part the UNIDO Regional Director Jean B. Bakole, in a goodwill message, said, “there is the need to develop and upgrade the coconut value chain to meet the local and global demand for its products.”

Highlights of the Lagos state coconut value-chain analysis report and the upgrading strategy

From the analysis, the report noted that the core function in the Lagos state coconut value chain includes production, wholesaling/aggregation, processing and retailing. The Lagos coconut market size is about 16% of the overall Nigerian market, with Lagos consuming about 67,000 MT of imported nuts, 34,000 MT of domestic nuts, and equally few imported coconut products. In addition, Nuts make up a large proportion of the consumption of coconut, but their value in the overall market size is less than that of the significant processed products.

The results from this report prompted the proposal of an upgrading strategy for the Lagos State coconut sector, which ensures that by 2037, the coconut VC in Lagos State will transform from one characterized by traditional practices and little value-addition to one that is driven by improved technologies that allow for increased productivity and output, and marketing of innovative and differentiated products, to substitute imports and increase exports, bring about enhanced income and employment for both women and men, and reduce environmental footprints.

The expected outcomes of implementing the proposed upgrading strategy are stated as follows; the value-chain actors will adopt new organizational, financial & risk management services; farmers will adopt improved production techniques to increase productivity and output sustainably; processors will adopt improved techniques to increase value addition and quality; there will be enhanced market access by improving linkages among stakeholders; and an improved enabling environment to support the sustainable development of the value chain.

Feedback on the presentation of the value-chain analysis report

“We need to create more awareness on the coconut value chain to the youth to ensure even more productivity and profitability of the sector”, said the Lagos State Permanent Secretary of Economic, Planning and Budget, Ibrahim Amodu Obajomo, while giving feedback on the value chain report.

At the event, participants from different civil society organizations commended the depth of the report. They recommended empowering, promoting and expanding LASCODA, linking LASCODA with Lagos State University, and finding means to export Nigeria’s coconut products to other countries.

For more Information Contact

David Tsokar

Communications Specialist

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Mob. +234 806 616 2876

Uloma MezieOsuocha

Communication for Development and Outreach Specialist

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+234 902 020 8105