Group promotes agric mechanization, smallholder farmers productivity

The U-Farm Africa, an NGO, has inaugurated tractors for grain initiatives to improve and encourage smallholder farmers in maximizing their outputs and reducing post harvest losses.

The Emir of Saminaka in Kaduna State, Alhaji Ibrahim Sani, inaugurated the initiatives in Saminaka, and described it as a catalyst for building smallholder farmers capacity and productivity.

The mechanized inputs are tractors, power tillers, threshers, Solar powered Knapsack sprayers and harvesters.

The royal father noted that the initiatives would assist the smallholder farmers in improving their productivity at the end of the farming season.

He, therefore, assured the foundation of the support of traditional institutions in Lere Local Government Area towards achieving their goals on agricultural development among the small holder farmers in Nigeria.

The Emir urged the beneficiaries of the scheme to be sincere and refund their facilities in due time.

The Country Lead Manager of U-Farm Africa, Mr Olalekan Ilori, said the targeted beneficiaries of this initiative are small holder farmers because they are germane in ensuring food security in Nigeria.

Ilori said the objective of the initiatives was not to sell the tractors, power tillers and other machinery but to make them accessible for smallholder farmers at reasonable prices.

He added that the initiative would also provide flexible means of payments for smallholder farmers.

According to him, if smallholder farmers embrace this technological innovation of farmers’ empowerment, yields will be increased and post harvest losses will reduce drastically.

Ilori also said that U-Farm was in partnership with Micromec (a subsidiary of Crop Doctor), who are the manufacturers of these farm machinery.

He said the farm equipment were intentionally designed to meet the need of the smallholder farmers, providing affordable hiring prices at reasonable costs.

“Importantly, while U-Farm Africa is targeting a global reach, the Lere, Soba and Kachia Local Government Areas of Kaduna State are the pilots of this initiative,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the farmers, Mr Ezekiel Joshua expressed their enthusiasm at the dynamism of farmers capacity building that U-Farm Africa has brought to their domain.

NAN / Foluke Ibitomi