The federal government on Tuesday outlined several initiatives to ramp up food production and control food inflation in the country, including prioritizing mechanization to increase agricultural yields.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, stated during a press briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that food production has lagged behind population growth, emphasizing the need to reverse this trend through the provision of high-yielding seeds.
He noted that the government is keen on moving farmers away from rudimentary farming methods, expressing confidence that citizens, particularly the youth, will soon embrace mechanized farming to save time and boost harvests.
He revealed that the federal government has received more than 250 new tractors, with additional shipments expected to arrive weekly.
According to him, the tractors arrived in the country in 85 containers, each containing three units.
He explained that this accounted for about 10% of the 2,000 tractors expected from Belarus under the federal government’s $1 billion agricultural mechanization program.
The program was approved during the 142nd meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) held on June 27, 2024. It aims to establish 1,000 agro-sector service providers across the country equipped with tractors.
Source;(NigerianTribune)
