FG receives 255 tractors for food production

The Federal Government on Tuesday said it has received more than 250 new tractors, with additional shipments arriving weekly.

The tractors arrived in the country in 85 containers, each conveying three units.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, revealed this to State House Correspondents at this year’s first edition of Meet-The-Press organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

This forms about 10 per cent of the 2000 tractors expected from Belarus, under the FG’s $1bn agriculture mechanisation programme.

At its 142nd held on June 27, 2024, the National Economic Council approved the programme to set up 1000 agro-sector service providers across the country with tractors.

At the time, Kyari told journalists that the FG was anticipating a new deal with Belarus Tractors to supply 2000 tractors per year for the next five years, with 9000 implements and spare parts, among others.

Before this, the FG had contracted John Deere and Tata to provide 2000 tractors before the end of 2024. But in March of that year, Kyari expressed worry over the delay in the delivery of 2,000 tractors by the two auto giants.

Speaking on Tuesday, the Minister said, “While some of the members [of the committee] were with me yesterday, we had to call the agents and they told us that 85 containers have arrived, and they are coming almost on a weekly basis.

“So if you interpolate, every container takes about three tractors. We are looking at over 200 and something tractors that have arrived [255 tractors].”

However, Kyari noted that the ultimate goal is not just about the number of tractors already in place but rather the delivery of 2,000 tractors and 9,000 accompanying implements.

Each tractor will be paired with a plough, a harrow, a planter, and a boom sprayer—totalling 2,000 of each implement—while there will be 1,200 trailers, partly because some trailers are being rehabilitated by NASENI.

“But the commitment is not how much we have now. When will you give us the 2000 with all the 9000 implements? Because there will be 9000 implements, we are looking at 2000 tractors.

“The tractor in itself cannot do anything. What we have for every tractor there is a plough. So, we have 2000 ploughs. For every tractor, there’s a harrow; there will be 2000 harrows. Every tractor will have a planter. Then we’ll also have boom sprayers, which is 2000.

“Then, in addition, we have trailers. But the trailers, instead of 2000, will be 1,200. The reason was because we still have some. Trailers are not something that spoil easily. We have some that NASENI has started rehabilitating. So they will be put together as part of the tractor will have for those exercises.” he explained.