FG, TracTrac unveil national agricultural mechanisation policy, investment strategy

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— Plans tractor assembly plant with 4,000-unit annual capacity

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By Gabriel Ewepu

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ABUJA — The Federal Government and TracTrac MSL on Wednesday unveiled the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy, aimed at accelerating food production and strengthening Nigeria’s food security.

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The initiatives were unveiled at a High-Level National Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Mechanisation and the unveiling of the National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy in Abuja.

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The event, hosted by TracTrac MSL, had as its theme: “Anchoring National Food Sovereignty through Sustainable Agricultural Mechanisation Policy, Innovation and Strategic Investment.”

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Speaking at the event, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the policies would serve as major drivers of Nigeria’s food security and agricultural transformation.

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Kyari said food security was fundamental to national sovereignty, economic resilience and stability, stressing that the policies were designed to create an ecosystem where capital, technology, skills and entrepreneurship could converge to make mechanisation commercially viable and accessible to farmers.

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He said agricultural mechanisation went beyond the provision of tractors, noting that the government was pursuing a broader approach that would improve access to machinery and other agricultural services.

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According to him, Nigeria’s large agricultural economy, expanding domestic food market, youthful population and growing agro-processing sector provide significant opportunities for investment in mechanisation.

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He said the Federal Government was therefore working towards a “Mechanisation-as-a-Service” economy in which farmers could access appropriate technology when and where needed at commercially sustainable costs.

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Kyari said the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme (RH-NAMP) had commenced the procurement and deployment of 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 assorted implements and spare parts.

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He described the programme as the largest single agricultural mechanisation intervention undertaken in Africa, adding that its significance would ultimately be determined by how effectively the equipment was maintained, financed, utilised and made accessible to farmers.

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“Under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Renewed Hope Agenda has firmly positioned agriculture as an engine of productivity, prosperity and economic transformation,” he said.

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“Our responsibility as a ministry is to translate that vision into policy architecture, institutional coherence and practical pathways for investment and delivery.”

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Kyari also disclosed that the government’s investment strategy included plans to establish a mega tractor assembly plant with an annual production capacity of between 2,000 and 4,000 units.

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He said the initiative was aimed at reducing dependence on imported agricultural machinery and strengthening domestic industrial capacity.

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“Our investment strategy is designed to help move Nigeria from public procurement to sustainable investment; from fragmented interventions to bankable opportunities; and from government expenditure to a viable private-sector-enabled mechanisation ecosystem,” Kyari said.

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The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the mechanisation initiative would improve farmers’ livelihoods and increase food production.

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The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, commended the Tinubu administration’s agricultural policies, saying they were geared towards achieving food sovereignty and economic growth.

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Zulum said the mechanisation programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security had the potential to transform the agricultural sector.

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Kyari also cited Borno as an example of state-level commitment to agricultural development, noting that the state government had provided fertiliser to farmers and expanded solar-powered irrigation systems to extend the farming season.

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He commended TracTrac MSL for training young Nigerians as mechanisation service providers and deploying small-scale tractors to smallholder farmers.

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In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of TracTrac MSL, Godson Ohuruogu, described the policy and investment strategy as a significant shift from years of discussions on agricultural mechanisation to the establishment of a national framework backed by an investment strategy.

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Ohuruogu said the company’s operations and its ISSAM Project with the Mastercard Foundation had reached more than 500,000 farmers, catalysed over N2 billion in investment, trained more than 6,000 youths, women and persons with disabilities, created 3,000 jobs and established 567 cooperatives.

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He said the success of the policy should ultimately be measured by its impact on farmers.

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“First, this policy must be judged not by the strength of its language but by what a farmer can feel in the field — a service that arrives on time, at a price they can afford,” he said.

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Ohuruogu also called for greater access to finance and investment, particularly for farmers and operators at the grassroots.

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He stressed the need for the policy to remain focused on farmers, women and young Nigerians who would operate, own and expand the mechanisation ecosystem.

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