FG to  develop Agricultural service centers in 632 LGAs Nationwide

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono has stated that the Ministry would kickstart Agricultural Mechanization programme in 632 Local Government Areas in the country. The policy would ensure that Nigeria achieved food security, job creation and economic growth.

The Minister made this known when he received  in audience the Executive Governor of Benue, Dr. Samuel Ortom, in his Abuja office over the weekend.

Nanono noted that the initiative is expected to involve a full technology package transfer that would cover all stages, from agricultural production to industrial processing and down to marketing.

The Minister informed that the programme would affect 632 Local Government Areas (LGAs), across the country. According to him, ‘’ each LGAs will have service centers and each centers will have a brand new tractor fully equipped with the admin and IT workshop, there would  also be stores for seeds, fertilizer and excess produce. With these, we will link farmers up with processing industries especially clusters at the local government producing the same thing will be provided with processing plants’’.

He pointed out that the mechanization services would be driven by the people in the local government areas and he also encouraged individuals and groups to come up with proposals of how to manage the service centers, adding  that the Federal Government will guarantee the facilities.

The Minister further explained that ‘’ the investment of potential manager of the service centers may not be more than N 5-6 million, but they will own assets worth the tune of N150 million for a period of 15 years’’

Giving a Breakdown how the programme will generate Income , the  Minister said, ‘’a tractor that works for an estimated N 60,000 -N75,000 per day, can make income of about N30,000-N40,000 per day  after expenses and with this the service centers can pay for the tractor in an average of 6-7 years. Mark you, the  tractors can last for about 25 years’’.

The Minister emphasized that ‘’ the loan we are getting can only finance 10,000 tractors, the gap for improvement in terms of bridging the gap in Agricultural mechanization is so huge. But we hope that this will work very well so that the private sector can drive it’’.

Nanono pledged that the Federal Government will partner with Benue Government ‘’each of  its LGAs will benefit. On the issue of soya beans production, we are taking a critical look into this area as a means of boosting food production and creating employment. We have enormous market potential for soya beans in China’’

In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Benue State,Dr. Samuel Ortom noted that ‘’ if you ask me, Nigeria’s major challenge is not the security problem alone, but unemployment and agriculture remains the one sector that has the capacity for creating jobs, and wealth for the teeming jobless youths. If we are able to engage the youths, we will have fewer problems in the country’’.

Dr Ortom assured the Minister of the state’s commitment to partner with the Ministry, he said, “we are committed to partnering and  collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to ensure we provide food security for Nigeria and beyond. Benue state is 35,000 sq meter of land, more than 95 percent of the land is arable and most of the food produced in the country can be produced in Benue state. And they are able to do all year round farming’’.

For: Director, Information (FMARD