Agric Minister clamours tractors maintenance

* Distributes 2000 units

The Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ( FMAFS) Sen. Abubarka Kyari has emphasized to the off takers of the Federal Government ( FG) 2,000 Belarus tractors' maintenance, saying it was key to enhancing food security sustainability.

Sen. Abubarka Kyari said this yesterday at the Sheda, Gwagwalada, Abuja distribution centre while responding to the question on the need for tractors' maintenance towards durability to enhance food security.

About 2,000 units of brand new tractors with more than 9,000 farm implements are officially supposed to be distributed  towards enhancing food security according to the designed template of the Bank of Agriculture ( BOA) and its financing partner called Heifer International.

The roll out as stated by Kyari was coming on the heels of Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanization Program of President  Bola Tinubu's template to boost farms productivity, expand land cultivations and strengthen national food security through modern mechanized farming.

He advised that the intervention should be seen as a long-term productivity investment rather than a one-time equipment distribution exercise saying that " This is not just an equipment rollout; it is the start of a national agricultural productivity revolution” 

The minister added that “Mechanisation without maintenance is an expenditure, but mechanisation with maintenance is an investment.”

Sen. Kyari said that the tractors would be released as allocations in three phases with 600 units in the first batch, followed by 750 and 650 respectively to certified mechanisation service providers through a lease-to-own framework to ensure accountability, commercial discipline, and efficient deployment.

He added that the programme is being backed by the Bank of Agriculture ( BOA) and Heifer International.

Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director of the BOA, Ayodeji Sontinrin said that the programme aligns with the Federal Government’s broader strategy to reposition agriculture as a sustainable, productivity-driven sector.

Sontinrin described the programme as one of the largest mechanisation drives in Africa, and credited the policy direction to president Bola Tinubu priority to elevating agriculture in Nigeria.

 One of the service providers representative, Aisha Bako, said operators are committed to ensure servicing schedules and responsible handling of the tractors, noting that past failures were largely due to neglect and weak maintenance systems.