Agric ministry highlights mechanisation support for farmers

Various harvest and post-harvest equipment have been deployed to render mechanisation services to Nigerian farmers in 2015. This is being implemented on a public-private partnership (PPP) platform, according to a release by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

The deployment of a total of 118 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHEs) has been done through a government-enabled self-sustaining private sector-driven agricultural mechanisation programme, established with a nationwide outlook, but meant to be implemented in phases.

The first batch of the first phase of the programme has been established with 400 tractors, 500 power tillers, assorted harvest and post-harvest mechanisation equipment. These were won by 80 Service Provider Operators (SPOs) across 28 states of Nigeria, including FCT. They were selected through a highly competitive bidding process to emerge victorious out of the 1,000 applications received. However, additional number of applicants considered qualified to off-take these centres are still on a waiting list for the subsequent batches of the AEHE deployment.

In the first batch of 80 AEHEs, the equipment for rendering agricultural mechanisation services have been deployed to the respective states. Their locations are demand-driven and depended in the choice areas of the Service Provider Operators that won the bids; they were not government-determined or government-influenced.

The agric ministry also states that it has also arranged a training programme for all the potential tractor operators of the AEHEs to build their capacity on the usage of the equipment to maximise efficiency and reduce damage. The training programme will take place in the next three weeks at Agricultural Mechanics and Machinery Operators Training Centre (AMMOTRAC), while the would-be managers will also receive their training at Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State.

The second batch of the first phase, under the cassava intervention funds, is comprised of 190 units of tractors, cassava planters, boom sprayers and cassava harvesters. These will be deployed in the next four weeks to cassava-producing areas under the Cassava Intervention Programme of the President.

The second and third phases of the programme will also achieve similar feat, to bring the total number of AEHEs to 246 units. They are to be established with 1,230 units of tractors, 2000 power tillers and 3400 units of various harvest and post-harvest equipment such as rice reapers, grain threshers, cassava planters and harvesters, boom sprayers, among several other equipment.