The Federal Government, through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), has signed a contract with AGCOMS International Trading Limited, a sub-dealer of John Deere, to supply 2,000 mechanised equipment and boost food production.

The equipment includees tractors, plows, and combined harvesters targeted at boosting food security in the country.

The contract, worth $70 million, includes the supply of 2,000 tractors, 100 combined harvesters and other equipment such as plows, planters, and trailers.

The equipment will be assembled in Nigeria, as training and product support will be provided to ensure the sustainability of the program.

Speaking at the signing ceremony which held at the minister?s office in Abuja on Thursday, January 9, 2025, Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture and food Slsecurity said, ?The programme is part of the federal government?s efforts to mechanise agriculture in Nigeria and improve food production.

?Sometime in October 2024, the Federal Executive Council.(FEC) approved the direct procurement of 2,000 tractors and several implements for every tractor? he said.

?And I believe for every tractor there will be a plow, planters, harrow, rigger, planters. There will also be 100 combined harvesters among others.?

The minister said the programme is expected to create jobs, increase food production, and reduce poverty in rural areas.

?The need for mechanisation programme seeks to increase, and improve our production, which we have challenges with because of mechanisation.

?We have been having a decline in farm operations in terms of aging farm operation as the youths are actually running away from agriculture because of the drudgery, thus the need for mechanization.?

In his remarks, Mohammed Abu, NADF executive secretary, said the NADF has been mandated to implement one of the four mechanisation programmes of the federal government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his aspiration to see that Nigeria transits from monolithic economy and well-diversified economy.

?We have various mechanisation programmes and the NADF is implementing one?

?The one we?re implementing is the John Deere 2000 tractors. These are 2000 tractors, the riggers, plows, harrows, and all other equipments, plus 100 combined harvesters.

?We have also had a stakeholder engagement hosted by a mechanisation international partner, HAIFA, where we invited various mechanisation stakeholders and this will drive us to conclude on the implementation programme.

?The John Deere tractors hopefully would be delivered before the wet season.?

The executive secretary also said, ?We have gone into another MOU with the Nigerian Ports Authority to provide the John Deere dealer outcomes, with a space within the ports or close to the ports where they would set up the assembly plant and then, hopefully, have these tractors delivered to the various parts of this country, as will be contained in the implementation programme.?

In his remarks, Chijioke Okoli, country director for AGCOMS International Trading Unit, who is the sub-dealers of John Deere in the country, said the contract signed is basically a procurement agreement, which is not just to bring tractors and dump and work away.

*First and foremost, there is a whole lineup of events that are attached to the procurement,? he said.

?The assembly plant plays a very crucial role because the people that will be opportune to go through the process with us will have the opportunity of having first-hand visibility on what it takes to put it together. So we can rest assured that this unit can confidently give us years, possibly decades of actual work on the field.

?The total procurement value is about 70 million USD, and that?s the value to get it down to the collection center in Abuja and Lagos. Now, it doesn?t just end with procurement. Training is also part of this. It?s at the core. Product support is also key. And based on what we?ve just signed up, it will be readily available to keep on supporting this unit.

?And there are several strategies already in play, which was activated two years back when we made a plan to originally start this. And that plan is to get a whole lot of our own local technicians so that whenever they see a joint contractor, they know there is a tractor they can be comfortable with operating.? (BusinessDay)

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