The permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Peter Temitope Fashedemi has expressed the ministry’s readiness to train 819 tractor operators and mechanics to enhance food production through comprehensive training in agricultural machinery handling.
Represented by the director of the department of policy and planning coordination, Mr. Ibrahim Tanimu, Fashedemi disclosed this during a two-day stakeholders’ workshop on the review of the draft National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy Document, held recently in Abuja.
Fashedemi revealed that the ministry plans to train these operators and mechanics at the Agricultural Mechanics and Machinery Operators Training Centre (AMMOTRAC) in Akure and Misau, respectively.
“This training will deepen their knowledge and provide a solid foundation in agricultural mechanisation technology, complemented by practical experience,” he said.
He emphasised that agricultural mechanization could improve productivity through efficient, cost-effective and sustainable strategies.
“There is currently no national policy on agricultural mechanization in Nigeria, making this policy development essential, especially as the government explores ways to procure agricultural equipment amidst low agricultural output,” he noted.
Fashedemi underscored the significance of a national mechanisation policy to achieve food security, economic growth and import substitution.
He assured stakeholders, “Implementing this policy will create an enabling environment for robust agricultural mechanisation, increase productivity, improve food security and boost farmer incomes.”
He also disclosed the ministry’s intent to engage original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including John Deere/Tata, Belarus Tractor, the Greener Hope Initiative Programme and the Green Imperative Programme (GIP), to supply 32,500 tractors and other assorted machinery over the next five years. “This will serve as a catalyst, encouraging youth and women to participate in agricultural production,” he said.
In his remarks, Dr. Olasupo Musa of the Origin Tech Group noted that the organisation had trained 5,000 youths in equipment handling and repair and helped establish 150,000 hectares of medium- and large-scale farms nationwide. He pledged continued support for the mechanisation programme in line with the administration’s agricultural policy.
A statement from the ministry’s director of information signed by Ikemefuna Ezeaja noted that stakeholders like John Deere/Tata, Belarus Tractor, the Greener Hope Initiative Programme and the Green Imperative Programme (GIP) were in attendance.
