Improve on finishing, partner fabricators says ICRISAT rep to NCAM

Dr. Hakeem Ayinde Ajeigbe,(ICRISAT) - Kano Station and  Country Representative - Nigeria West & Central Africa Program

The ICRISAT Nigerian representative, Dr. Hakeem Ajeigbe has advised National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM) to work harder towards achieving a good finishing machines and other equipment saying more fabricators should be engaged for commercial production of the proto type designs with royalty charges.

Speaking one on one with Dr. Ajeigbe on the state of agricultural mechanization in Nigeria and extension, he said a lot has to be done by NCAM especially in the use of its mandate to design machines, fabricate proto types and evaluate the imported ones for standard adaptation to our ecologies adding that “NCAM must be able to partner fabricators that will be ready to pay royalty to support its work”

“Where we expect NCAM to do more is to involve more in designing and redesigning of small scale machines that can give the most needed mechanized agriculture for small scale farmers as it is done in China. They should design a well-tested machine for efficiency and good use. Also they should have series of fabricators who are to commercialize the machines they have made as proto-type.

These fabricators can pay 5-10 % loyality to every NCAM design, and this is what happens in the other progressive country where the loyalties are added to whatever subvention NCAM is getting from the Government. This I believe can add to NCAM’s strength so as to be able to perform more better in making available simple machines and tools for agricultural productivity of removing farming drudgery for commercialization.