FG unveils mechanisation policy, targets 4,000 tractors annually

By Joy Baba-Yesufu

The Federal Government has unveiled the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy as part of efforts to boost food production, reduce dependence on imported agricultural machinery and achieve food sovereignty.
The government also announced plans to establish a mega tractor assembly plant with an annual production capacity of between 2,000 and 4,000 tractors.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the High-Level National Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Mechanisation.
Kyari said the two policy instruments would provide a framework for transforming Nigeria from an agriculture-dependent economy into a competitive food-producing nation.
He said agricultural mechanisation went beyond tractor ownership to encompass land preparation, planting, irrigation, crop protection, harvesting, processing, storage, logistics, precision agriculture, digital technology, financing, insurance, maintenance and after-sales services.
“Our ambition, therefore, must be larger than equipment ownership. We must build a Mechanisation-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 said.
The minister said the government had, under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme (RH-NAMP), commenced the procurement and deployment of 2,000 tractors, alongside more than 9,000 assorted implements and spare parts.
According to him, the intervention is expected to reduce the country’s dependence on imported machinery, promote local manufacturing, create jobs and develop a sustainable agricultural mechanisation ecosystem.
Kyari urged investors, young Nigerians and women to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the mechanisation value chain.
“Nigeria is open for investment in agricultural mechanisation. We are not seeking capital merely to purchase machines. We are seeking partners to build an enduring agricultural technology and services ecosystem,” he said.
He said the government would provide policy direction, standards and coordination, while state governments would support with land and infrastructure. The private sector, he added, would invest in machinery and service delivery, while financial institutions would develop appropriate financing and risk-sharing mechanisms.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the initiative would improve farmers’ livelihoods and increase food production.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, said mechanisation should be viewed as an investment opportunity covering machinery assembly and leasing, maintenance, spare-parts manufacturing, digital fleet management, operator training, irrigation, post-harvest technology and agro-processing.
He stressed that farmers must remain at the centre of the programme.
“A tractor without an operator is an idle asset. A machine without maintenance is a depreciating investment. Equipment without finance cannot reach the farmer,” Ogunbiyi said.