The Nigerian government has signed a MoU agreement with the Nigerian Agricultural Mechanisation and Equipment Leasing Company (NAMEL) and John Deere, to supply 10,000 tractors to the country’s smallholder farmers
The initiative is in line with the federal government’s ambitious plan to boost mechanised farming practices among the rural farmers in the country.
According to John Deere, the tractors will be delivered through 2,500 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHE). With this, the company aims to set up assembling plants for tractors in Nigeria.
Commenting on the initiative, Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development, stated that the federal government in Nigeria is taking steps to help the rural farming community in the country, as agriculture is the means of livelihood of thousands of smallholder farmers across the nation. Helping farmers with advanced farming mechanisation is expected to boost sustainable farming practices in Nigeria.
Jason Brantley, managing director for Sub-Saharan Africa of John Deere, noted, “Every one of these tractors will have hello tractor telematics solutions to enable efficient management, operation and maintenance. We have plans to train the operators and technicians.”
In Africa, John Deere has been involved in mechanised farming since 1878. The company is continuously working with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) of Nigeria and NAMEL to improve the productivity and yields of small farmers through affordable and local access to farming mechanisation services.
The company announced to sell 10,000 tractors in Nigerian market in May 2018, stating that this will create new job opportunities in the region.
