Gilbert Ekugbe
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has stated that over 500 tractors are expected to hit the shores of the country in its quest to drive mechanised farming in the country.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, revealed that the ministry would receive 500 tractors assembled by the John Deere Group, noting that the move is aimed at boosting food production while also attaining food and nutrition security in Nigeria.
The Minister stated this during a media chat in Abuja, saying that the procurement of the tractors is coming on the heels of the present administration ‘s effort to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.
He stated that John Deere would deliver 500 tractors by the end of May and the rest in September 2024.
He assured that the Group would achieve the set target of 2,000 tractors yearly for the next five years and as signed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry.
Kyari explained that to increase agricultural yields, there was need for tractors, stressing that this is very important for growth in the agric sector.
The Minister reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to improve food and nutrition security through mechanisation, adding that the tractors would be accessible, available, and affordable for small, large-scale, and cooperative farmers across the country.
He also revealed that the federal government had procured 58,500 tonnes of milled rice from Rice Millers Association of Nigeria for stabilisation of the market force.
“We have appealed to World Food Program (WFP), which is a United Nation’s based Agency, not to make bulk purchase from the market so as not to exacerbate the food price inflation that we have now, the minister added.
On the recently released fertilizer by the CBN to FMAFS, the Minister stated that the release of 2.15 million bags of assorted fertilizer ranging from NPK, UREA and SSP, worth over N100 Billion Naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Nigeria farmers was to enhance agricultural production.