The Federal Government has announced its acquisition of 500 tractors assembled by the John Deere Group, a move aimed at enhancing mechanised farming and boosting food production. Sen. Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, revealed in a statement that the tractors would be delivered by the end of May, with additional deliveries scheduled for September. This initiative is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with John Deere to supply 2,000 tractors annually for the next five years.
Kyari emphasized the importance of tractors in increasing agricultural yields and fostering growth in the agricultural sector. He reiterated the government's commitment to improving food and nutrition security through mechanisation, ensuring that the tractors would be accessible, available, and affordable to farmers across the country. Additionally, the government has purchased 58,500 tons of milled rice from the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria to stabilize market prices and avoid exacerbating food price inflation.
The initiative is aligned with President Bola Tinubu's declaration of a food security emergency and aims to catalyze farming activities while fortifying the nation's food and nutrition security. Regarding the recent release of fertilizer by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the ministry, Kyari stated that the distribution of 2.15 million bags of assorted fertilizer, valued at over N100 billion, would enhance agricultural production and stabilize prices in the agricultural sector. The ministry is prepared to commence distribution as soon as the locations of the warehoused fertilizers are made available.
