U-Farm Africa, a Non-Governmental organization (NGO), says it will partner with key stakeholders in Kaduna State to bolster food production through agricultural mechanisation.
The Lead Manager, U-Farm Africa, Mr Ilori Olalekan, disclosed this on Monday in Zaria while unveiling tractor for grains initiative.
Olalekan said that the initiative was aimed at increasing productivity in farming and also encouraging the younger generation to venture into agriculture through the application of simple labour-saving devices.
According to him, under the initiative, tractors and other labour-saving devices will be provided to farmers on hire and the payment will be done after harvesting the produce.
“However, a farmer is expected to make a down payment of 20 percent of the total cost and the balance can be paid at the end of the farming season with either cash or grains.
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“We are very happy that the farmers in Zaria embraced the opportunity and assured us that it is a welcome development.”
The lead manager also said that there were no fewer than 5000 farmers who registered under the scheme adding that they would be grouped into cooperatives and clusters before tractors would be assigned to them.
According to him, the initiative is also aimed at enhancing the national grain reserve and eliminating ghost farmers.
“Land preparation is very essential in cultivation; U-Farm will deal with farmers directly under this initiative and obtain data on real farmers and their farmlands.
“Through this, it can advise the government and other partners on the supply of inputs and other incentives to the farmers,” he said.
He disclosed that the organisation had commenced the pilot scheme of the initiative in Zaria, adding that it would be extended to other parts of the country.
Similarly, the operations manager, U-farm Africa, Oluwafadekemi Obadofin, said that the group observed that the women and youths did not have a place in agriculture because of the way it was being practised.
She said that the initiative was to entice the youth to go into agriculture to boost food production and enhance FOREX earning; stressing that the group was emphatic about gender inclusivity in agriculture.
In his remarks, the Director, National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS), Prof. Emmanuel Ikani, said that agricultural mechanisation was one of the answers to food crises and the surest way of feeding the more than 200 million Nigerians.
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Ikani, represented by Dr Aminu Kabir, Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, said that less than 60 per cent of arable land was cultivated in Nigeria due to inadequate modern farm equipment.
He advised the farmers to embrace the initiative and other labour-saving devices toward enhancing food security in Nigeria.
“Youths and women cannot be enticed into agriculture through cutlasses and hoes hence the need to embrace agricultural mechanisation or initiatives such as the U-Farm’s tractor for grains,” he said.
Earlier, the Emir of Zazzau, Malam Ahmed Bamalli, restated his commitment to partner with U-Farm Africa to bolster food production and employment generation in the emirate.
Represented by Ahmed-Saidu Zaria, and Bajimin Arewan Zazzau, Bamali urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the emirate through prompt repayment of the agreed sum with either grains of money at the end of the farming season.
NAN
