Nigeria has unveiled the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy.
Speaking at the High-Level National Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Mechanisation held in Abuja , Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari stated that the twin instruments provide the framework to move Nigeria “from agricultural potential to agricultural powerhouse; from mechanization deficit to mechanization leadership; and from food vulnerability to food sovereignty.”
The Minister also announced plans to establish a mega tractor assembly plant with capacity to produce between 2,000 and 4,000 units annually in a major push to anchor national food sovereignty.
“It takes more than land, more than good intentions to produce efficiently, competitively and sustainably to build our food systems. This is why today’s National Policy Dialogue is so important” he stated.
Senator Kyari said; “mechanisation is not synonymous with tractors alone, but a full ecosystem covering land preparation, planting, irrigation, crop protection, harvesting, processing, storage, logistics, precision agriculture, digital technologies, 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.
“This is the direction in which Government is moving,” he said.
According to him, under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme (RH-NAMP), the Nigerian Government has embarked on the procurement and ongoing deployment of 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 assorted implements and spare parts described as the largest single agricultural mechanisation programme ever undertaken in Africa.
The Minister noted that the significance of the intervention lies not in the number of machines, but in whether they become productive economic assets that are maintained, financed, utilised and accessible to farmers.
He disclosed that the plant is aimed at reducing import dependence, localise production, create jobs, and build a sustainable Mechanisation economy.
Senator Kyari then called on investors, youths and women to take ownership of the Mechanisation economy.
He said; “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.”
“Agriculture is no longer a symbol of neglect. It has transitioned into a domain of enterprise, technology and wealth creation.
“Our youths must not stand at the edge of the mechanisation economy. They must own, operate, innovate and lead it,” the Minister said.
