Lagos: Govt plans coconut factory in Badagry

The Lagos State Government has confirmed it will establish a coconut processing factory in Badagry to optimise the use of coconut and harness the economic potential in the value chain, The Punch reports.

The state Acting Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, stated this at the 2020 Coconut Day Celebration at the Lagos Farm Centre, Agege.

She said the factory would be dedicated to the processing of coconut husk to coir and coco peat, among others, said The Punch.

Olusanya noted that the initiatives would reinforce the position of the state as the number one coconut producer in Nigeria, in addition to providing employment opportunities for residents and contributing to export and foreign exchange earnings.

She said, “I believe Nigeria as a whole produces over 350,000 tonnes of coconut annually, but it is far behind what the likes of Philippines, Malaysia and other Asian countries are producing on an annual basis.

“To optimise the use of the coconut value chain, the state has proposed to establish a coconut factory in Badagry, solely dedicated to the processing of coconut husk to coir, coco peat, etc, under a public private partnership arrangement in the 2021 Annual Work Plan and Budget.”