By Stella Odueme
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the National Agricultural Development Fund’s (NADF) planned deployment of 10,000 tractors across Nigeria will stimulate enterprise development, create employment opportunities and significantly increase food production as part of efforts to transform the country’s agricultural sector.
The President made the remarks in his Democracy Day address, where he highlighted key economic reforms and interventions aimed at driving growth, improving livelihoods and strengthening productive sectors of the economy.
According to Tinubu, agriculture remains a cornerstone of his administration’s economic recovery and growth agenda, with ongoing investments in infrastructure and mechanisation designed to connect producers to markets and expand opportunities along the agricultural value chain.
“Across the country, infrastructure projects are connecting producers to markets and creating opportunities for enterprise and employment. The National Agricultural Development Fund is deploying 10,000 tractors over five years,” the President said.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling inflation, increasing food production, creating jobs and improving the living standards of Nigerians despite prevailing economic challenges.
The President’s comments come as NADF advances one of the Federal Government’s flagship agricultural mechanisation programmes aimed at closing Nigeria’s mechanisation gap and boosting agricultural productivity.
As part of the initiative, NADF recently signed a procurement contract valued at approximately $70 million with AGCOMS International Trading Limited for the supply of 2,000 John Deere tractors to farmers nationwide.
The agreement represents the first phase of a broader presidential directive mandating the deployment of 10,000 John Deere tractors over the next five years.
Speaking during the contract signing ceremony, NADF Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Abu Ibrahim, described the programme as a strategic intervention by the Federal Government to modernise agriculture and improve farm output.
He said the project extends beyond the supply of tractors to include complementary equipment such as ridgers, harrowers and combine harvesters required for large-scale agricultural production.
According to Ibrahim, the agency secured approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before engaging in extensive negotiations with John Deere and other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.
“We got the conveyance of the Federal Executive Council in October and we have taken three months to go on a very robust and intensive negotiation with John Deere. We have also had stakeholders’ engagements,” he said.
Ibrahim further disclosed that arrangements had been concluded with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to provide space for an assembly plant that will facilitate local assembly and distribution of the tractors across the country.
He noted that the initiative is expected to stimulate local industrial activities, enhance technical skills development and generate employment opportunities while improving farmers’ access to modern agricultural equipment.
Also speaking, Country Director of AGCOMS International Trading Limited, Chijioke Okoli, said the project was conceived as a comprehensive mechanisation programme rather than a simple equipment procurement exercise.
According to him, the company will establish local assembly operations, train Nigerian youths and technicians, and provide long-term product support to ensure sustainability.
“We will not just procure and assemble the tractors; we will also give our youth the opportunity to understand the technology behind what we are trying to assemble. The assembling plant plays a crucial role because the people involved will have first-hand experience of what it takes to put the tractors together,” Okoli said.
He added that the sustainability plan includes the training and certification of local technicians who will be equipped to operate, maintain and service John Deere equipment across Nigeria.
Stakeholders believe the 10,000-tractor programme could mark a significant turning point for Nigeria’s agricultural sector by reducing dependence on manual farming, expanding cultivated land and improving productivity.
The initiative is expected to support the Federal Government’s broader objectives of increasing food production, creating jobs, boosting rural incomes and strengthening agriculture’s contribution to national economic growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
