Follow Us on Google
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has disclosed plans to establish a mega tractor assembly plant with capacity to produce between 2,000 and 4,000 units annually.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari stated this after unveiling the national agricultural mechanization policy and the national agricultural mechanization investment strategy, yesterday, in Abuja.
Kyari said the twin instruments provide the framework to move Nigeria from agricultural potential to agricultural powerhouse, from mechanization deficit to mechanization leadership.and from food vulnerability to food sovereignty.
He disclosed that the plant is aimed at reducing import dependence, localize production, create jobs, and build a sustainable mechanization economy.
The minister explained that it takes more than land, good intentions to produce efficiently, and sustainably to build a good food systems.
He clarified that mechanization is not synonymous with tractors alone, but a full ecosystem covering land preparation, planting, irrigation, crop protection, harvesting, processing, storage, logistics, precision agriculture, digital technologies, financing, insurance, maintenance and after-sales services.
According to him, Nigeria must build a mechanization as a service economy in which technology reaches the farmer when and where it is needed, at a cost that is commercially viable and sustainably financed.
He pointed out that under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanization Programme (RH-NAMP), the Federal Government embarked on the procurement and ongoing deployment of 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 assorted implements and spare parts — described as the largest single agricultural mechanization programme ever undertaken in Africa.
Other News
The former lawmaker noted that the significance of the intervention does not lie in the number of machines, but in whether they become productive economic assets that are maintained, financed, utilized and accessible to farmers.
He called on investors, youth and women to take ownership of the mechanization economy.
“Nigeria is open for investment in agricultural mechanization. We are not seeking capital merely to purchase machines. We are seeking partners to build an enduring agricultural technology and services ecosystem.
“Agriculture is no longer a symbol of neglect. It has transitioned into a domain of enterprise, technology and wealth creation.
“Our youths must not stand at the edge of the mechanization economy. They must own, operate, innovate and lead it,” he said.
The Minister cited Borno State as an example of state-level commitment, noting that Governor Babagana Zulum delivered 200 truckloads of fertilizer to farmers and unlocked more than a dozen solar-powered irrigation systems and sites to extend the farming season.
Also, In his remarks, Prof Babagana Zulum lauded the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s in the agriculture sector which is geared towards achieving food sovereignty and economic growth.
Zulum added that the Mechanization Programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security would revolutionize the agricultural ecosystem.
