‘My China experience with NCAM technologies’

The National Secretary, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) Dr. Bello Nuhu Dogongaji

The National Secretary, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) Dr. Bello Nuhu Dogongaji shares his experience in relation to the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM). He pointed out that both the private and government sectors must harness the potential at the Centre for development of the sector through the using simple tools and equipment to reduce farming drudgery.

Kindly introduce yourself…

My name is Dr. Bello Nuhu Dogondaji, the National General Secretary, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN).

What is your view on simple tools and mechanization equipment for production and processing in this Centre, coming from the background of your visit to China? What makes China better than us?

As a matter of fact going by my China experience, what I found in National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM) is very marvelous leaving me to wonder why government and our big time farmers are still importing machines and equipment from China when they are actually here in this centre. Already, some of these machines and tools are here for amendment and fabrication as additional features can still be added to give a better performance to our farmers. In China, they practice communism whereby government owns everything, and the public services giving support to the private sector for them to effectively operate. 

China operates agricultural estates whereby you have all the facilities for better agricultural performance. The beauty of China just by the corner is that she has an industry that processes whatever you produce in the farm, thereby making the whole thing going through the value chains process because all the actors are participating and interacting for a purpose. At the sugar cane estate, it was also wonderful to see the estate and the industry attached together as there is already available market to them.

 High priority is given to research as she is already eyeing 20 tons per hectare for paddy rice production. Come to this centre, I have never known we have a place like this in the country until today. But when I was taken round, I just have a conviction that if Nigeria is determined to achieve her green revolution, then this is the centre that must take a lead because the processing tools and machines you are thinking of are locally fabricated here. 

The good thing about the local content is that it tells you that anytime you have spare part problem of any of the equipment, one can always be referred to the centre for provision or making replacement without delay. But when you buy your equipment from abroad, the tendencies to pack up the equipment is very high because of scarcity of spare parts to replace anytime the need arises. I remember I made this complaint to one Chinese company in China, that most of the power tillers we have in Nigeria have packed up, and putting them back to productive life is a problem because of distance to China to ask for these spare parts. In most of the states, where these power tillers are found are not functioning. 

What I have seen in this centre is that some of these machines and tools can be replicated here like this quick boxer from Indonesia. This centre is innovative about the imported technology as they were being replicated here. To my mind this is the way to agricultural revolution as far as I am concerned. Come to think of this centre and the management, i have seen some trainees from about three to four states, including Kano, Jigawa and Katsina  coming with their local fabricators to acquire more training for the benefit of their states by way of  replication and putting into use. 

This is one of the achievements of this centre. What we have seen here will make FACAN to collaborate with the centre, and I am also of the view that all other collaborating agencies in this sector must work with them, especially the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) that has mandate to youth empowerment through training using this centre. For example when you give a youth a neem extractor of 2.5 million naira after training, you have empowered him as he too will be able to empower others at the same value chain. So this centre is a centre I propose that NDE should collaborate with FACAN towards achieving the agricultural revolution in this country.