The Federal Government has acquired 255 tractors to distribute among farmers, along with plans to distribute 1,200 trailers.
The federal government announced yesterday that it has received 255 tractors from a total order of 2,000 placed with a private company nearly a year ago, which are set to be distributed to farmers.
During a recent press briefing at the State House, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Senator Abubakar Kyari updated journalists on the government’s efforts to tackle the rising food inflation, which currently stands at approximately 34 percent. He also announced that plans have been initiated for the reorganization and recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture, with completion expected before the year concludes.
He said, “Yesterday, (Monday), I think while some of the members were with me, we had to call the agents, and they have told us that they have 85 containers that have arrived, and they are coming almost on weekly basis.
“So, if you interpolate, every container takes about three tractors, so do the calculations. So we’re looking at about 200 and something, tractors that have arrived.
“But the commitment is not how much we have now, when are you going to give us the 2000 with all the 9000 implements? Because there will be 9000 implements. We are looking at 2000 tractors.
“That tractor in itself cannot do anything, but we have for every tractor, there is a plough. So we have 2000 ploughs. Every tractor there’s a harrow, there will be 2000 harrows. Every tractor will have a seeder, which is a planter. Then we’ll also have boom sprayer, which is 2000.
“Then, in addition, we have trailers, but the trailers, instead of 2,000 will be 1,200. The reason why it is like that was because we still have around… trailers are not something that spoil easily. We have some that NASENI has started rehabilitating. So they will be put together as part of the every tractor will have for those exercises.
“In addition, we also have 9000 sets of spare parts that will come with this particular procurement. Then we also have 10 combined harvesters of 330 horsepower.
“These are huge combined harvesters that will be able to do about one and a half hectares per hour. So if you just imagine, in one day, you’ll be able to do nothing less than 10 hectares. 10 hectares is like 13 football fields. So you could just imagine, in one day to harvest a cornfield in just one harvester.
“So we also have service vehicles, about 12 service vehicles that will come, it’s a mobile workshop with all the items that will be there that will be placed in all these areas that we’re going to have, those tractors.”
