National extension ED says farmers are better off with power tillers, mini planters....

The Executive Director ( ED), National Extension and Agriculture Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Prof. Sani Ahmed, has preferred the provision of power tillers, mini planters, and hand-held harvesters to farmers over unaffordable tractors for increased food production.

Prof. Sani Ahmed, in a forum in Abuja, recently argued that accessibility to simple and affordable agricultural implements would enhance food productivity as against big tractors that farmers cannot afford.

The ED said that " Many small holder farmers, especially women, find it difficult to benefit in the conventional mechanization program due to the high cost and size of standard tractors as well as the technical expertise required to operate them," adding that affordable modern tools would be preferred by farmers for increased food production.

In a related development, during the African Heads of States meeting in Abuja, women in farming across several communities demanded that government and development partners must prioritize power tillage machines over heavy tractors in Agricultural mechanization schemes.

The women representative, Mrs. Veronica Gume, SWOFON's  (Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria) State Coordinator, argued that most of them only manage small farms that were less than two hectares, which thereby made large tractors practically not needed.

Also, other experts at the meeting noted that while full-sized tractors remain essential for large-scale agriculture, power tillage and small-scale mechanization hold the key to transforming productivity among rural farmers, who make up over 70% of the country’s food producers.