Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Chief Enock Ajiboso has averred that despite being a commercial and industrial hub of the nation, the state performed well in the agriculture sector the last two years.

Chief Ajiboso stated this while fielding questions at the commemorative press briefing organised as part of activities marking the second year in office of Governor Babatunde Fashola.

He reeled off his ministry's achievements to include the provision of wholesome meat and the introduction of the Eko Meat Van Project, establishment of modern abattoirs and the closure of illegal slaughter slabs and the protection of pregnant animals from slaughtering.

The commissioner enthused that public health would be greatly enhanced if quality meat intake is assured, saying that the state government has addressed the issue of wholesome mode of meat transportation through the introduction of the "Eko Meat Van" launched in February 2008.

According to him the project that started at Oko-Oba, Agege is now set to go state-wide with over 120 vehicles already deployed by the private sector. The use of rickety vehicles, wooden carts and motorcycles for transporting meat has been outlawed.

He also lauded the co-operation of the Lagos State Butchers Association who bought into the programme with 50 meat vans financed by the SKYE Bank, stating that the programme is now being copied by neighbouring states.

Similarly, in its bid to eradicate slaughter slabs, the state government has approved the construction of modern mechanised abattoirs as another public private partnership initiative.

Meanwhile, the state government has started to wage war against the slaughtering of pregnant animals for consumption, most especially cattle, that has only one calf per pregnancy on the average. "The practice apart from lowering the quality of meat in-take, would accelerate extinction of the animal and reduce their availability for human use," the commissioner said.

Furthermore, the ministry has also commenced with a plan to develop the Imota Cattle Farm into a dairy farm where various breeds would be crossed with local ones to improve their productivity using the public private partnership approach.