The Nigerian Government of Nigeria, through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), has signed a $70 million agreement with AGCOMS International Trading Limited, a sub-dealer of John Deere, to procure 2,000 mechanised agricultural equipment.
The contract, which aims to enhance food production and agricultural mechanisation, includes tractors, ploughs, planters, trailers, and 100 combined harvesters.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Abuja, Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, highlighted the programme’s potential to transform agriculture in Nigeria. He stated that the initiative is part of a broader effort to mechanise farming and boost food security under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
“The programme is part of the federal government’s efforts to mechanise agriculture in Nigeria and improve food production,” Kyari said.
“The need for mechanisation programme seeks to increase, and improve our production, which we have challenges with because of mechanisation.
“We have been having a decline in farm operations in terms of aging farm operation as the youths are actually running away from agriculture because of the drudgery, thus the need for mechanisation,” he added.
The tractors and equipment will be assembled locally, with training and product support provided to ensure sustainability. According to the Minister, the programme will create jobs, alleviate poverty in rural areas, and improve food security nationwide.
The initiative forms part of the government’s broader mechanisation agenda, which includes the procurement of 10,000 tractors over the next five years under the $1 billion Renewed Hope Mechanisation Programme.
This programme, supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria, aims to open up 25,000 hectares of farmland across the six geopolitical zones.
The Executive Secretary of NADF, Mohammed Abu, revealed that rigorous negotiations had been held with John Deere to finalise the agreement. He disclosed that the first batch of tractors is expected to arrive in the country by March 2025, in time for the wet farming season.
The NADF has also partnered with the Nigerian Ports Authority to establish an assembly plant at the ports, ensuring efficient distribution of the equipment across the country.
