ABUJA — The Federal Government has unveiled a major agricultural intervention programme aimed at supporting over 1.2 million farmers nationwide through the deployment of 2,000 tractors and expanded mechanised farming initiatives.
The initiative, being coordinated through the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), forms part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s food security and agricultural transformation agenda targeted at increasing food production, improving farmers’ incomes and reducing rural poverty.
According to the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinriade, the tractors sourced from Belarus will be deployed to qualified service providers capable of mechanising at least 600 hectares of farmland annually.
The programme is expected to support farming activities across more than 1.2 million hectares during the current wet season, with government officials describing mechanisation as critical to addressing Nigeria’s low agricultural productivity.
Sotinriade noted that Nigeria currently has one of the lowest tractor densities globally, estimated at about 0.27 tractors per 100 square kilometres, making large-scale mechanisation necessary to improve yields and food supply.
As part of the intervention, the Federal Government also plans to establish integrated farming hubs equipped with irrigation systems, aggregation centres, financial support services and extension programmes for farmers.
The government further announced plans to introduce a Guaranteed Minimum Price system for staple crops such as rice, maize, soybeans and cassava to protect farmers against unstable market prices and post-harvest losses.
Officials said the intervention is expected to create jobs, strengthen food security, reduce dependence on food imports and support year-round farming activities across rural communities.
The Bank of Agriculture also disclosed that digital identity tools including BVN and NIN would be integrated into the programme to ensure that support reaches genuine farmers directly.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns over rising food prices, insecurity affecting farming communities and increasing pressure on government to improve agricultural output nationwide.
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