The Federal Government has announced plans to establish agriculture mechanisation service centres in all of the country’s geopolitical zones.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, hinted that the government will set benchmarks that would govern the production and use of agricultural machinery in Nigeria for decades to come.
The centres, on completion, would take care of training, repairs and coordination of agricultural technologies. Speaking at the 25th International Conference and 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE) in Ilorin, themed: Standardisation and Promotion of Proven Technologies for Agricultural Production and Value Addition in Nigeria, Kyari noted: “Beyond acquisition, our focus remains on standardisation, local assembly and maintenance systems, ensuring that every machine deployed is fit for purpose and supported by skilled technicians.”
The minister said Nigerian farmers deserve home-grown technologies, “that are developed with a deep understanding of our soils, our crops, our scale of farming, and the labour dynamics of our rural communities.”
Kyari encouraged collaboration between the ministry, representing the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, and Tanta Motors of Egypt.
SIMILARLY, Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, yesterday, stated that the panacea to the high costs of food in Nigeria is the prompt introduction of relevant tools for mechanised farming.
He spoke while declaring open the 25th International Conference and 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE) at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), Ilorin.
Besides, the event coincided with the maiden National Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, held at the same venue. According to him, “as a government, we have deployed tractors, ploughs, processors, and other implements to over 10,000 farming households in each of our 16 local government areas. Rice, cassava, palm oil, and soya bean processors now enjoy higher output and quality.”
